STATEMENT OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE THE PERPETRATORS OF THE ATTEMPTED MURDER BY POURING AGLURES ON ANDRIE YUNUS

 

Jakarta, March 13, 2026

The Civil Society Coalition strongly condemns and condemns the acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus, in the early hours of Friday, March 13, 2026, in the Salemba area of ​​Central Jakarta.

This heinous and cowardly attack left Andrie Yunus with serious burns covering approximately 24 percent of his body, including his face, eyes, chest, and both hands. The attack was carried out by two perpetrators who deliberately approached the victim on a motorcycle and poured a dangerous chemical directly onto his body before fleeing. The attack occurred just moments after Andrie Yunus had completed his public advocacy activities, including recording a podcast on remilitarization and a judicial review of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Law, at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) office.

This attack strongly indicates a planned and organized action. The perpetrators' direct application of the dangerous chemical directly to vital body parts, including the face and respiratory tract, demonstrates that the act was not simply ordinary violence, but was potentially intended to take the victim's life. Therefore, we strongly suspect this attack was an attempted premeditated murder that must be seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement.

This attack cannot be separated from the context of the victim's work as a human rights defender, who has consistently exposed abuse of power, human rights violations, and the narrowing of civil space in Indonesia. In the days leading up to the incident, the victim had also received various forms of intimidation, including suspicious calls from unknown numbers. This pattern of intimidation demonstrates a systematic effort to instill fear in those actively engaged in human rights advocacy and defense.

Furthermore, Andrie Yunus is a member of the Fact-Finding Commission (KPF), which has spent the past five months conducting an independent investigation into the series of demonstrations and riots in August 2025. Through extensive investigative work, the KPF report uncovered various serious findings, including disproportionate use of force by authorities, mass arrests, alleged torture, and the widespread criminalization of activists and civilians. The events of August 2025 alone resulted in at least 13 fatalities and the criminalization of hundreds of civilians, marking one of the largest waves of repression against civil society movements since the Reformation.

Andrie Yunus had previously protested the lack of transparency in the deliberations on the revision of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Law. On March 15, 2025, he and other members of the Civil Society Coalition broke through the door of a meeting room at the Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta to interrupt a closed-door discussion of the Draft TNI Law between the government and the Indonesian House of Representatives. This action was a form of protest against the deliberations being closed to the public and potentially reviving the military's dual function.

In this context, the brutal attack on Andrie Yunus cannot be viewed as an ordinary criminal act. The Civil Society Coalition assesses that the acid attack on Andrie Yunus constitutes an attack on the civil society movement as a whole. This attack must be seen as part of a pattern of intimidation against human rights defenders and a systematic effort to silence those who dare to reveal the facts, challenge impunity, criticize those in power, and fight for justice. The state must not pretend to ignore the political context of this attack. If a human rights defender can be brutally attacked in a public space in the nation's capital, it demonstrates the fragility of state protection for citizens fighting for justice and the limited safe space for human rights advocacy work in Indonesia.

Therefore, we urge the State to:

Reveal and be accountable by providing clarity regarding the handling of the case and the protection measures taken for those actively voicing their opinions, including human rights defenders. We urge that this case not end like so many other cases of terror and violence against human rights defenders that have faded into obscurity.

Immediately arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and expose all involved and the intellectual actors behind this attack, not just the perpetrators on the ground.

Take concrete steps to guarantee the safety and provide real protection for Andrie Yunus and other human rights defenders who continue to experience intimidation and violence, beyond simply issuing formal statements.

Ensure comprehensive recovery, the best possible medical care, and rehabilitation for the victims and their families of the brutal attacks they experienced, including compensation for all material and immaterial losses.

We emphasize that terror against one human rights defender is terror against all of civil society. We will continue to monitor this case until the perpetrators and those responsible are brought to justice and punished fairly. There must be no room for terror against human rights defenders in a country that claims to be a democracy ( Jp )

Jakarta, March 13, 2026

Civil Society Coalition