It only took 29 years for the military to once again show its claws in damaging Indonesian democracy. In 1997, members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Special Forces Command under the command of Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto kidnapped activists.
Almost three decades later, in 2026, the soldiers are once again terrorizing them. A police investigation has revealed that the people responsible for the attempted murder of Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), on March 12 are soldiers from the TNI Strategic Intelligence Agency (Bais).
Evidence gathered by the police indicates that the attack was orchestrated at a Ministry of Defense house used by Bais in South Jakarta. Four perpetrators – though activist findings suggest five – trailed and assaulted Andrie with acid. Andrie suffered severe chemical burns and partial vision loss. While the police have yet to disclose the motive behind the terror, tracing Andrie's recent activities makes the reason for his targeting fairly clear.
Alongside a civil society coalition, KontraS released investigation results into the August 2025 demonstrations, alleging military's involvement behind the unrest. Consequently, police findings suggest that the targets of this terror campaign extended beyond Andrie to include Amnesty International Indonesia Director Usman Hamid, Chairperson of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Muhamad Isnur, and the leadership of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios).
Since last year, along with these civil organizations, Andrie has stridently opposed the revisions to the TNI Law that expand the role of the military beyond purely defense matters. Activists held demonstrations, stormed into a House of Representatives (DPR) session discussing the amendments, and filed a request for a judicial review with the Constitutional Court. These actions clearly provided the motive for the terror.
President Prabowo Subianto has condemned the attack. The public is now waiting for serious action from the President to uncover the chain of command behind it. The first sign of this seriousness would be the establishment of an independent fact-finding team. Prabowo should not hand over the investigation to the police, yet alone task the Military Police Center. Both institutions are inherently biased. The military can hardly be expected to remain independent, given that the triggers for this terror and violence were the activists' protests against the TNI. Meanwhile, the police previously used activists and students as scapegoats for the August 2025 demonstration riots, hesitant to confront the military directly.
An investigation by an independent team would ensure that it was conducted impartially. The use of an official residence of the Defense Ministry shows that the operation was ordered by the institution, or at least was known about by the soldiers' superiors. After all, the perpetrators were members of the Sadang Task Force, a special team established by Bais for the operation. The Bais Chief and Deputy Chief must take responsibility for the actions of their subordinates.
According to the definition of a crime against humanity, the acid attack on Andrie Yunus constitutes a gross violation of human rights. It meets the criteria: the perpetrators are state actors, the targets include multiple individuals, and the impact is widespread fear among civil society. It is little wonder that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner issued an official statement condemning the assault.
Without an independent team, the investigation into this terror will stall at the field operators. The TNI has already discharged and detained four soldiers. Only the President can order the military to hand over the perpetrators to an independent team to uncover the auctor intellectualis – the masterminds behind the attack.
To the journalists he invited to inquire about the incident on March 19, 2026, Prabowo said he already knew the person who ordered the attack on Andrie Yunus. It is time he publicly names those involved. Without a political decision, the acid terror will never be thoroughly uncovered. Consequently, the world will perceive Indonesia as sliding back into an authoritarian era because its president grants impunity to soldiers who commit crimes.
And this label will eventually add to the burden of the Prabowo administration, which is starting to lose the confidence of people at home and abroad because of its reckless policies.
– Read the complete story in Tempo English Magazine
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2095257/once-they-kidnapped-now-they-terroriz