Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) expresses dismay over the stalled investigation by law enforcement authorities in probing the case of acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. They suspect that non-judicial factors are obstructing the investigation and preventing the identification of the individuals responsible for this incident.
"We strongly suspect there are political obstacles directly or indirectly impeding the law enforcement process," said Jakarta Legal Aid Institute Director Fadhil Alfathan at the YLBHI office in Jakarta on Monday, March 30, 2026.
TAUD comprises several non-governmental organizations urging the government to unveil the chain of command behind the acid attack on Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Andrie Yunus. The organizations include KontraS, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), LBH Pers, Amar Law Firm, Imparsial, Trend Asia, and Greenpeace Indonesia.
Since Andrie Yunus was attacked with acid on March 12, the police had only disclosed two suspected perpetrators acting as the attackers in a press conference on March 18. At the same time, the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) stated that they had detained four suspected perpetrators from the Denma Strategic Intelligence Body (BAIS) unit. Both institutions have not provided information regarding the progress of the investigation into Andrie's case.
TAUD asserts that the acid attack is an organized intelligence operation against civilians. This is supported by temporary investigation findings from an independent team that identified at least 16 individuals suspected of surveilling and trailing Andrie's activities, carrying out the acid attack, and conditioning the environment.
Fadhil emphasized the importance of the government promptly forming an independent, joint fact-finding team. "An independent team to overcome non-judicial obstacles that may disrupt the law enforcement process or even hinder further progress," he stated.
In addition, TAUD highlights the absence of new articles added to the prosecution in the case of the acid attack against Andrie Yunus. Nevertheless, Andrie's legal team initially requested that the police investigators use Article 459 in conjunction with Articles 17 and 20 of the Indonesian Criminal Code. "This article pertains to attempted premeditated murder with complicity," he said.
He explained that the application of the article on attempted premeditated murder in Andrie Yunus's case is crucial for a more comprehensive scope of the investigation. Fadhil stated that in this acid attack, authorities must uncover the intellectual actors and investigate other related allegations.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2095315/taud-suspects-political-interference-in-andrie-yunus-cas