Police Urged to Arrest Perpetrator of Acid Attack on Activist Andrie Yunus
JAKARTA — A member of Commission III of the House of Representatives, Bimantoro Wiyono, has called on the police to arrest the perpetrator of an acid attack against Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS).
In addition to making an arrest, he urged the National Police to investigate all parties involved in the terrorist act, from the person who carried out the attack to those who ordered them.
“This case must be investigated thoroughly. The police authorities must urgently identify and arrest whoever is involved, from the principal perpetrator to those who planned, ordered, or assisted in carrying out the act,” Bimantoro stated on Monday, 16 March 2026.
Bimantoro stressed that acts of terror against activists cannot be justified in a constitutional state. According to him, such terror potentially threatens the space for democracy and the safety of human rights defenders.
“This incident should be regarded as a form of resistance against the government’s spirit of strengthening the protection, advancement, enforcement, and fulfilment of human rights in Indonesia,” Bimantoro said.
He therefore emphasised that every form of violence against human rights defenders must not be tolerated. “For this reason, the state must be present to provide protection to anyone who champions human values,” Bimantoro added.
Previously reported, the case of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), was formally escalated to the investigation stage by police on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
Although the case is now under investigation, investigators are still focused on pursuing the perpetrator and have not yet named a suspect. Police said that naming a suspect can only be done after the case enters the investigation phase.
In the investigation process, police are currently tracing the identity of the perpetrator, whose actions were captured by surveillance cameras (CCTV) in the vicinity of the incident location.