Indonesia: Acid Attack Against Rights Activist Demands Independent Military Inquiry

Last updated: 22 September 2026

Human Rights Watch is calling on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to issue a presidential decree establishing an independent civilian fact-finding team to investigate the acid attack against prominent human rights activist Andrie Yunus. While military police have arrested four soldiers in connection with the assault, HRW warns that the Indonesian armed forces' long history of impunity for serious rights violations raises acute accountability concerns.

The Attack: A Targeted Assault in the Night

At approximately 11 p.m. on March 12, 2026, two men on a motorcycle threw acid at Andrie Yunus, a 27-year-old deputy coordinator at KontraS — the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence — at an intersection in the Menteng area of central Jakarta. Yunus had just finished recording a podcast in which he was reportedly critical of the military. He suffered severe burns and was hospitalised immediately.

KontraS is one of Indonesia's most prominent human rights organisations, known for documenting enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military abuses dating back to the Suharto era. Its staff and leadership have been targeted by intimidation and violence on multiple occasions. The targeting of Yunus immediately after recording a critical podcast strongly suggests the attack was connected to his human rights work.

Military Arrests, But Accountability Concerns Remain

The Indonesian military police (TNI) arrested four soldiers in connection with the attack, a relatively swift response that nonetheless raises serious questions about the independence and thoroughness of any internal military investigation. Human Rights Watch has documented extensively that Indonesian military tribunals routinely fail to deliver accountability for serious human rights violations, with perpetrators receiving lenient sentences or having cases dropped entirely.

The military police's arrest of soldiers is a start, but the Indonesian military has a long record of protecting its own from serious accountability. President Prabowo should immediately establish an independent civilian investigation to ensure that justice is truly served for Andrie Yunus.

Human Rights Watch, March 24, 2026

Why Civilian Investigation Is Essential

HRW argues that the gravity of the attack — a premeditated acid assault on a young human rights defender shortly after he publicly criticised the military — demands a level of scrutiny that the military justice system cannot credibly provide. International standards require that investigations into alleged human rights violations by security forces be independent, impartial, and effective. A presidential decree establishing a civilian fact-finding commission, with full access to witnesses, evidence, and military records, is the minimum required to meet those standards.

Source: Human Rights Watch