Indonesian military authorities have taken four intelligence personnel into custody following their alleged involvement in a brutal acid assault on prominent human rights advocate Andrie Yunus. The attack occurred last week when two assailants on a motorcycle doused Yunus with corrosive liquid while he was riding his motorcycle in Jakarta.
Yunus, a leading investigator with KontraS (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence), sustained severe chemical burns covering approximately 20% of his body, including his hands, facial area, chest region, and eyes. The assault transpired shortly after Yunus had recorded a podcast discussing the military’s expanding influence within Indonesia’s political landscape.
The incident has triggered widespread condemnation from international human rights organizations and domestic civil society groups. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed profound concern regarding the attack, while KontraS characterized it as a deliberate attempt to suppress critical voices against military overreach.
Military Police Commander Yusri Nuryanto confirmed that investigations are underway to establish the precise motive behind the assault. The detained soldiers belong to military intelligence units, raising serious questions about institutional accountability.
Human rights organizations have documented that Yunus had received multiple threatening communications from unidentified sources in the days preceding the attack. The Civil Society Coalition, an umbrella organization representing various rights groups, revealed that Yunus had been investigating authorities’ handling of violent anti-government demonstrations that occurred last year.
President Prabowo Subianto, a former military general, faces mounting pressure to authorize an independent probe into the incident. While the president has not personally addressed these demands, his spokesperson announced on Tuesday that Subianto has mandated an “objective, transparent, and expedited investigation” into the matter.
This attack highlights ongoing concerns about the safety of activists in Indonesia, where rights defenders have repeatedly reported intimidation tactics including threatening messages, animal carcasses, and incendiary devices directed at those criticizing government policies.