Setara Institute Emphasises that Andrie Yunus Case Must Be Thoroughly Uncovered

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Executive Director of the Setara Institute, Halili Hasan, has emphasised that the acid splashing case against Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus, must be thoroughly uncovered.

This statement was made by Halili in response to the steps taken by the Metro Jaya Police, which has uncovered the initials of two suspected perpetrators, and the TNI Military Police Centre (Puspom), which has also stated that it has detained four personnel suspected of being involved in the acid splashing case.

“We must dare to ask academically whether this is the action of naughty individuals or part of a chain of command?” Halili said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

He stated that intimidation of civilians, including attacks on human rights activists, constitutes a weakening of democracy. Therefore, the case that befell Andrie Yunus must be uncovered completely.

Along with that, Halili opined that an independent fact-finding team (TPF) needs to be formed. The existence of an independent TPF is important to uncover this case comprehensively.

“Without an independent fact-finding team, law enforcement will only become sabotage against substantive justice,” he said.

The incident occurred shortly after Andrie finished recording a podcast at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) which discussed the topic of militarism and the judicial review of the TNI Law.

In its developments, the Metro Jaya Police has uncovered the initials of two suspected perpetrators of the acid splashing against Andrie Yunus.

“We can inform that the two people we showed earlier from this Polri data, one with initials BHC, and one with initials MAK,” said Director of General Criminal Investigation of the Metro Jaya Police, Commissioner General of Police Iman Imanuddin, during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday (18/3).

TNI Puspom Commander Major General TNI Yusri Nuryanto in Jakarta on Wednesday (18/3) said that the four personnel with initials NDP, SL, BWH, and ES were detained at Puspom TNI for further investigation.

“We convey that all four suspected perpetrators are members of Denma BAIS (Detachment Headquarters of the TNI Strategic Intelligence Agency). So, not from any unit, but from Denma BAIS TNI,” he said.

Meanwhile, Commission III of the DPR RI on Wednesday (18/3) has agreed to form a working committee (panja) to oversee this case.