Indonesia: Hold perpetrators of acid attacks against human rights defender Andrie Yunus accountable

IDN 001 / 0426 / OBS 018
Assassination attempt /
Assault
Indonesia
7 April 2026
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Indonesia.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed about recent developments concerning the attack against Mr Andrie Yunus, human rights defender and Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), in which he sustained serious injuries.

On 12 March 2026 at 11:37 pm, two unidentified individuals attacked Andrie Yunus by throwing acid at him while he was riding his motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I–Talang Street in Jakarta, after he had left the office of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), where he had recorded a podcast on the topic of “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia.” The podcast was referring to the revised Military Law and broader concerns regarding militarisation and democratic oversight in Indonesia. The perpetrators fled on a motorbike immediately after the attack.

This acid attack struck the right side of his body - particularly his eye, face, neck, and chest - and both hands. Despite his injuries Mr Yunus managed to leave the scene and was taken by his housemates to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta, where he received emergency treatment.

Medical examinations indicated that Mr Yunus sustained burns covering approximately 20% of his body, while confirming severe chemical trauma to the right eye, including 40% corneal damage due to acid penetration. Mr Yunus has undergone multiple medical procedures, including the removal of dead skin tissue and surgery on his eye. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, Mr Yunus remained in intensive care at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM).

In the days preceding the attack, between 9 and 11 March 2026, Mr Yunus received repeated calls from several unknown phone numbers, to which he did not respond. In addition, Mr Yunus had previously experienced acts of intimidation, particularly following the “Fairmont Protest Action” in Jakarta in March 2025, when he and other members of civil society protested against the closed-door deliberations on revisions to Indonesia’s Military Law.

Early on 12 March, Mr Yunus attended a meeting at the office of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) to discuss the investigative report of the Fact-Finding Commission on the August 2025 protests, in which Mr Yunus had been actively involved. He then went to the YLBHI office, where he remained until approximately 11:00 pm. CCTV footage later showed that individuals suspected of being involved in the attack had already begun monitoring Mr Yunus while he was still at the YLBHI office, from approximately 8:40 pm. After the attack, police appeared at the RSCM to collect testimonies from Mr Yunus and his colleagues and then proceeded to the site of the incident.

On 13 March 2026, a police report was filed and investigators from the Central Jakarta Metro Police formally upgraded the case from a preliminary inquiry to a criminal investigation and initiated the investigation, including the collection and analysis of CCTV footage and the questioning of witnesses.

On 18 March 2026, military authorities announced they had arrested four members of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and placed them in military custody. However, at the time of publication of this urgent appeal, it remained unclear whether all those responsible, including additional suspects identified by the police and those potentially involved in planning, coordinating, or ordering the attack, had been charged with any offenses.

On 18 March 2026, Indonesian law enforcement authorities publicly presented initial findings of the investigation, indicating that between two and four perpetrators were involved.

On 25 March 2026, BAIS head Lt Gen Yudi Abrimantyo resigned, describing this as a form of institutional accountability. However, Mr. Yunus’ representatives stressed that such a resignation cannot substitute for an effective and independent investigation into the entire chain of responsibility.

According to the findings of an independent investigation conducted by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), a coalition of civil society organisations and human rights lawyers in Indonesia, which were released on 30 March 2026, this acid attack against Mr Yunus should not be understood as an isolated act of only two perpetrators, as it was initially thought by the authorities, but rather as a planned and organised operation that may have involved up to 16 individuals. They include the two assailants who carried out the acid attack, as well as surveillance operatives, trackers, site scouts, and a field coordinator. In light of these elements, TAUD formally requested that the attack be investigated as attempted premeditated murder under Article 459 in conjunction with Articles 17 and 20 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.

The Observatory notes with serious concern that the acid attack against Mr Yunus may amount to an attempted premeditated murder carried out in reprisal for his legitimate work as a human rights defender.

The Observatory is also deeply worried by the growing indications that the attack may have involved multiple actors and possible links to state security structures, as well as by the risk of impunity if the case is not thoroughly and independently investigated.

The Observatory expresses its concerns regarding the fact that some of the identified suspects may be linked to the BAIS and calls for an immediate and full investigation to track all those responsible for the attack.

The Observatory recalls that this attack is part of an ongoing pattern of intimidation and harassment against KontraS and its members, including surveillance of offices, repeated threatening phone calls, attempted break-ins, the presence of military vehicles around its premises and judicial harassment.

The Observatory further recalls that Indonesia currently holds the Presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council and must therefore act in an exemplary manner in complying with its international human rights obligations, including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a state party. The Indonesian government must ensure the protection of human rights defenders, as enshrined in Articles 28C and 28G of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, and Articles 100 and 101 of Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights.

The Observatory condemns the assault on Andrie Yunus, which seems to be only aimed at silencing him for his legitimate work as a human rights defender, and urges the Indonesian authorities to carry out a prompt, thorough and independent investigation to bring all those responsible to justice.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Indonesia urging them to:

• Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr Andrie Yunus and all human rights defenders in Indonesia;
• Conduct an immediate, independent, effective, and transparent investigation into the acid attack against Mr Yunus, in order to identify all those responsible, including the direct perpetrators, coordinators, and any individuals who ordered, supported, or financed the attack, and hold all those responsible accountable;
• Ensure that the case is brought before competent civilian courts, and that no military jurisdiction interferes with the investigation and prosecution of those responsible;
• Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Indonesia can carry out their legitimate activities freely and safely, without fear of reprisals.

• Ensure that reforms to the Military Law are conducted transparently and address civil society’s concerns regarding militarisation and the need for democratic oversight.

Addresses

• Mr. Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia, Twitter : @prabowo
• Mr. Djamari Chaniago, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Email : humas@polkam.go.id
• Mr. Muhammad Tito Karnavian, Minister of Home Affairs, Email : pusdatin@kemendagri.go.id
• Mr. Sugiono, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Email : kontak-kami@kemlu.go.id
• Mr. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Minister of Defense, Email : ppid@kemhan.go.id
• Mr. Natalius Pigai, Minister of Human Rights, Twitter : @NataliusPigai2
• Mr. Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations in Geneva, Email : geneva@mission-indonesia.org
• Mr. Denis Chaibi, European Union Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Email : Denis.CHAIBI@eeas.europa.eu, Twitter : @DubesUniEropa

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Indonesia in your respective countries.

***
Paris-Geneva, 7 April 2026

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
• E-mail: alert@observatoryfordefenders.org
• Tel FIDH: + 33 1 43 55 25 18
• Tel OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39