TAUD Urges Authorities to Swiftly and Thoroughly Investigate Andrie Yunus Case

The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) is urging law enforcement authorities to promptly reveal all perpetrators, both field operatives and intellectual actors, in the acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. TAUD member Airlangga Julio believes that the investigation into this case should not take long. “Because all the evidence is clear, all the leads are evident,” he said at the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in Jakarta on Monday, 30 March 2026. He highlighted the police’s protracted approach in investigating the acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras). According to him, investigators from the Metro Jaya Regional Police only began the formal inquiry on 25 March, or two weeks after Andrie was doused with the corrosive liquid. However, he noted that numerous leads—both official and unofficial—have been circulating in society regarding this acid attack case. The police have also obtained several pieces of evidence, such as recordings from 86 surveillance camera points, the acid container, and the identifiable face of the executor. “Yet to this day, there has been no significant progress. By today or at the latest tomorrow, all field perpetrators should have been arrested and thoroughly investigated,” Julio stated. An independent investigation team from the Civil Society Coalition has identified at least 16 individuals suspected of involvement in the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. These dozen people have varying roles, from tailing Andrie Yunus, to carrying out the dousing, to preparing the scene. Head of Advocacy at LBH Press, Gema Gita Persada, believes that the police, with their authority, should easily uncover this acid attack case. The police, he said, are facilitated by the state to have adequate resources and power. “The police should be far more advanced in presenting clear information,” he said at the YLBHI office in Jakarta on Monday, 30 March 2026. He suspects non-juridical factors are obstructing the police investigation process, causing the handling of the Andrie Yunus case to stall. One indicator is the reduced intensity of communication between Andrie’s legal team and the police compared to before. “Therefore, today we have decided to formally request case updates through a letter to the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation at the Metro Jaya Regional Police,” Gema stated. Previously, Andrie Yunus was doused with acid by two unidentified individuals on Thursday night, 12 March 2026, on Jalan Salemba I Talang, Central Jakarta. Andrie was then rushed to the Emergency Installation at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in the early hours of Friday, 13 March 2026, complaining of burns to his face, neck, chest, back, and both arms, accompanied by vision impairment in his right eye. Medical reports state that Andrie suffered burns covering 24 percent of his body due to the corrosive liquid. The police and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) have differing investigation results regarding the suspected perpetrators. Metro Jaya Regional Police state there are two suspects with initials BHC and MAK. Meanwhile, the TNI has revealed four suspected perpetrators involved in the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. All four are from the TNI’s Military Intelligence and Security Agency (Bais TNI), including Captain NDP, First Lieutenant SL, First Lieutenant BHW, and Sergeant Second Class ES. The TNI Military Police Centre claims that these four suspected perpetrators have been detained since Wednesday, 18 March 2026. The state defence institution states that the investigation into the Andrie Yunus case is still ongoing. As a result of this case, Lieutenant General Yudi Abrimantyo has resigned from his position as Head of Bais.