Amid mounting pressure from civil society organizations to uncover the intellectual masterminds behind the shocking acid attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus, President Prabowo Subianto has directly addressed the outcry. Prabowo has publicly pledged a thorough investigation to identify “who ordered and paid” the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) personnel involved in the heinous crime.
The President also indicated he is considering the formation of an independent team to probe the intellectual actors. However, he attached a notable condition: “We can consider [forming an independent fact-finding team], provided it is genuinely independent, and not composed of NGOs that are already biased against the government and receive foreign funding,” Prabowo stated to journalists and experts on Thursday evening (March 19). He did not elaborate further on this assertion, leaving many questions unanswered.
The demand for an independent fact-finding team (TPF) has been a consistent call from a coalition of senior advocates and civil society groups. They firmly believe that internal investigations conducted by the TNI and the National Police (Polri) alone will be insufficient to reach the true intellectual actors behind the acid attack.
Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, emphasized that a TPF involving civil society members would guarantee a transparent, impartial, and accountable legal process in uncovering this attempted premeditated murder. “This attack strongly suggests broader involvement that must be thoroughly investigated. It is impossible for it to have been carried out solely by the two or four perpetrators seen on CCTV,” Hamid asserted. He further described the incident as “an orchestration of terror or state-sponsored terrorism aimed at silencing and intimidating the public,” speaking at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday (March 18), titled ‘Indonesia urges Polri to immediately apprehend perpetrators trained by certain institutions.’
Echoing this sentiment, senior advocate Todung Mulya Lubis explained that an independent TPF would ensure the investigation’s transparency and accountability. “Given the pervasive suspicions and historical patterns of intimidation and terror against human rights, people always point fingers at the involvement of certain powerful entities,” Lubis stated. He stressed that the investigation should not be confined to an internal TNI inquiry but must involve an independent external team. “Just form an independent team. This would be far more objective, provided the independent team consists of figures with integrity and impeccable track records in human rights, thereby opening avenues to uncover the intellectual actors, not just the field operatives,” Todung added, underscoring the critical need for an unbiased probe.
Earlier, on Wednesday (March 18), the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) confirmed the involvement of four of its personnel in the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. These individuals, identified as Captain NDP, First Lieutenant SL, First Lieutenant BHW, and Sergeant ES, are members of the Strategic Intelligence Agency’s Headquarters Detachment (Denma BAIS) from both the Navy and Air Force. They have been named suspects and are currently detained.
Major General TNI Yusri Nuryanto, Commander of the TNI Military Police Center (Danpuspom TNI), stated that authorities are still investigating the motive behind the attack, promising a transparent inquiry into the four TNI personnel. This action by TNI legal authorities followed a statement by Head of TNI Information Center (Kapuspen TNI) Major General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah on Tuesday (March 17). Aulia indicated that the TNI decided to participate in the investigation after public opinion circulated suggesting its members were involved in the assault.
This decision came after the police, in an official press conference on Monday (March 16), had already named four suspected perpetrators. Just a day prior, on Sunday (March 15), National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo revealed that President Prabowo Subianto had issued a direct order for a thorough investigation into the acid attack against Andrie Yunus.
However, Hendardi, Chairman of the National Council of SETARA Institute, critiqued TNI’s involvement, viewing it as an attempt to “sabotage and interrupt the law enforcement process by the National Police (Polri),” as stated in a release received by BBC News Indonesia on Thursday (March 19). Hendardi labeled this development a “plot twist,” arguing that “the narratives presented to the public through the [Danpuspom TNI] press conference substantively show differences that could potentially obscure the case’s revelation.”
Despite Danpuspom TNI Major General Yusri Nuryanto’s renewed pledge for a transparent investigation and judicial process for the four TNI personnel, Hendardi stressed that this very situation underscores the critical need for the President to immediately establish a Joint Fact-Finding Team (TGPF). Such a combined team, he added, would be vital in uncovering and producing objective and comprehensive facts regarding both the field perpetrators and the true intellectual actors in this high-profile case.
President Prabowo Subianto articulated his stance on the Andrie Yunus acid attack case during a compelling question-and-answer session with journalists and experts at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, from Wednesday night (March 18) to early Thursday morning (March 19).
As widely reported by various media outlets and the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (March 19), Prabowo unequivocally condemned the incident as “terrorism and a barbaric act.” He asserted with strong conviction, “This is terrorism. This is a barbaric act. We must pursue it. We must investigate it. We must investigate it!”
When pressed by journalists on whether legal efforts would extend beyond the perpetrators on the ground, Prabowo confirmed, “[Including] who ordered, who paid.” Further questioned if this commitment included the involvement of uniformed state apparatus, and if there would be no protection or impunity, Prabowo responded definitively: “Yes, of course (if it’s from the apparatus). There will not (be impunity).” When a journalist asked for a guarantee, the President firmly declared, “I guarantee it!” He added a caveat: “But conversely, if these are provocateurs not from the government, not from the apparatus, we will certainly investigate them.”
Addressing concerns about similar past cases where legal processes failed to reach those who issued orders, stopping only at the field perpetrators, Prabowo offered a resolute answer. “I want to guarantee, I want to build a civilized Indonesia; that is my aspiration,” he said. “I want to build a clean government; I want to have a clean police force, a clean prosecution, clean intelligence agencies. So trust me, I will not allow such things to happen.” He continued, “Trust me, I was elected by the people to defend the people. But we must be vigilant; I ask for a thorough investigation. Right up to the intellectual actors.”
Regarding a timeframe for the investigation, Prabowo deferred to law enforcement agencies. “I am a realistic and fair person; in terms of capacity, let them work. But it’s not just Polri; many other institutions must also work,” he stated. Prabowo also reiterated his openness to forming an independent team for the investigation, albeit with the familiar caveat: “We can consider it, provided it is independent, not all those NGOs that are already biased against the government and receive foreign funding.” The President did not provide further details or substantiation for these accusations.
This news will be updated periodically.
- Acid Attack on KontraS Activist – Could BAIS TNI Soldier Suspects Have Acted on Their Own Initiative?
- TNI Detains Four Soldiers Suspected in Acid Attack on KontraS Activist – ‘Bring Perpetrators and Intellectual Actors to General Court’
- Who Are the Suspected Perpetrators of the Acid Attack on KontraS Activist Andrie Yunus? – Four Individuals, Allegedly Not Civilians
- KontraS Activist Andrie Yunus Attacked with Acid Draws Attention of UN Human Rights Council – ‘A Horrific Attack’
Summary
President Prabowo Subianto telah berjanji untuk melakukan investigasi menyeluruh atas kasus penyiraman air keras terhadap aktivis KontraS Andrie Yunus, menegaskan akan mengusut “siapa yang menyuruh dan membayar” di balik kejahatan tersebut. Ia juga menyatakan sedang mempertimbangkan pembentukan tim pencari fakta (TPF) independen, dengan syarat tim tersebut benar-benar independen dan tidak beranggotakan LSM yang bias terhadap pemerintah dan menerima dana asing. Prabowo mengutuk insiden itu sebagai “terorisme” dan tindakan biadab, menjamin tidak akan ada impunitas, bahkan jika aparat negara terlibat.
Empat personel TNI dari Detasemen Markas Badan Intelijen Strategis (Denma BAIS) telah diidentifikasi dan ditahan sebagai tersangka dalam serangan tersebut. Organisasi masyarakat sipil, termasuk Amnesty International Indonesia dan sejumlah advokat senior, terus mendesak pembentukan TPF independen. Mereka berpendapat bahwa investigasi internal oleh TNI dan Polri saja tidak akan cukup untuk mengungkap aktor intelektual di balik serangan itu, menekankan pentingnya transparansi dan akuntabilitas dalam kasus ini.