Prabowo Supporters Demand State Investigation into Attack on Andrie Yunus
A volunteer group supporting presidential candidate Prabowo, known as Tim 8 Prabowo-Gibran, has condemned the attack on activist Andrie Yunus. Akhrom Saleh, Secretary-General of Tim 8 Prabowo-Gibran, has called on the state to conduct a serious investigation into the acid attack against the Deputy Coordinator of Kontras (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence).
“To avoid tarnishing the good name of President Prabowo and Vice President Gibran,” Saleh stated in a statement on Saturday, 14 March 2026.
According to him, the act of dousing an activist with caustic liquid cannot be tolerated. Saleh stated that this case has become a threat to democracy and activism in Indonesia.
He asserted that every citizen has the right to personal protection and the right to safety, as well as protection from threats of intimidation to take action. Saleh said that the right to protection and safety to express oneself is already regulated in the 1945 Constitution.
“Any form of disagreement should not be responded to with violence,” he said.
Saleh also requested that police authorities, in particular, protect Andrie Yunus and other outspoken human rights activists from the threat of further attacks.
Previously, Andrie Yunus was doused with caustic liquid while on Jalan Salemba I-Talang, Central Jakarta on Thursday evening, 12 March 2026. Andrie was sprayed with a dangerous solution by two unidentified individuals riding a motorcycle.
The perpetrators of the acid attack came from the opposite direction to Andrie. Dimas Bagus Arya, Coordinator of Kontras, stated that the perpetrators sprayed caustic liquid onto the front part of Andrie’s body.
After being hit by the caustic spray, Andrie collapsed onto the road whilst screaming in pain. Dimas recounted that shortly before the incident, Andrie had just finished recording a podcast titled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia” at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in Central Jakarta, around 11:00 PM on Thursday evening.
The corrosive chemical affected the right side of Andrie’s body, including his eyes, face, chest, and hands. Part of the victim’s clothing also melted from the caustic liquid.
Medical examinations showed that Andrie sustained serious burns covering 24 per cent of his body. Andrie remains under intensive care at the National Central General Hospital Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo, Jakarta. The human rights activist underwent eye surgery.