TAUD Suspects Political Obstacles in Andrie Yunus Case
The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) regrets the stagnation of the law enforcement investigation into the acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. They suspect non-judicial factors are obstructing the probe to reveal the intellectual masterminds of the incident.
“We strongly suspect there are political obstacles, directly or indirectly, impeding the law enforcement process,” said Director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute Fadhil Alfathan at the YLBHI office in Jakarta on Monday, 30 March 2026.
TAUD consists of several non-governmental organisations urging the government to uncover the chain of command behind the acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus. The members include KontraS, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), LBH Pers, Amar Law Firm, Imparsial, Trend Asia, and Greenpeace Indonesia.
Since Andrie Yunus was doused with acid on 12 March, the police have only released two suspected perpetrators who acted as the executors of the attack during a press conference on 18 March. At the same time, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) stated they had detained four suspected perpetrators from the Strategic Intelligence Agency’s Denma unit. Both institutions have yet to provide information on developments in the investigation of Andrie’s case.
TAUD describes the acid attack as a planned intelligence operation against civil society. This is because preliminary findings from an independent team investigation revealed at least 16 individuals suspected of surveilling and tailing Andrie’s activities, dousing him with acid, and setting the scene.
Fadhil said it is crucial for the government to immediately form an independent joint fact-finding team. “An independent team to penetrate non-judicial obstacles that could disrupt the law enforcement process or even hinder further proceedings,” he stated.
Additionally, TAUD highlights the absence of new charges added in the prosecution of Andrie Yunus’s acid attack case. However, the legal team for the KontraS Deputy Coordinator has from the outset requested that police investigators apply Article 459 in conjunction with 17 and 20 of the Criminal Code. “That article pertains to premeditated attempted murder with involvement,” he said.
He explained that applying the premeditated attempted murder charge in Andrie Yunus’s case is important to make the investigation more comprehensive. This is because, according to Fadhil, in this acid attack, the authorities must uncover the intellectual masterminds and trace other related suspicions.