Jayapura – The Papuan Law Enforcement and Human Rights Coalition is urging the president of the Republic of Indonesia to immediately order security forces to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the terror attack against human rights defender Andrie Yunus.
This demand follows the chemical attack on Yunus which is considered a terrorist attack and attempted premeditated murder of a human rights defender in Indonesia.
Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Papua) Director Emanuel Gobay emphasised that the National Police Chief (Kapolri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander (Panglima) must immediately order their personnel to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, including the intellectuals behind the attack.
"The Kapolri and Panglima TNI must immediately order their personnel to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the terror attack and attempted premeditated murder of human rights defender Andrie Yunus", Gobay stated in a press release received by Suara Papua on Tuesday March 17.
Gobay believes that regulations guaranteeing the protection of human rights defenders are clearly in place, including Law Number 39/1999 on Human Rights, Law Number 16/2011 on Legal Aid and National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Regulation Number 52015. However, he believes these regulations have not been able to prevent violence against human rights defenders.
The attack on Yunus left him with serious burns covering some 24 percent of his body, including his face, eyes, chest and both hands. The incident occurred when two perpetrators approached the victim on a motorcycle and throw a chemical liquid directly at him before fleeing the scene.
The incident occurred shortly after Yunus completed his public advocacy activities, including recording a podcast titled Re-militarism and the Judicial Review of the TNI Law in Indonesia, on Thursday evening March 12 at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) offices in Jakarta.
The coalition believes that the attack is inseparable from the victim's advocacy activities. Yunus is known to be active in monitoring military policy with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), including his involvement in protests against deliberations on revisions to the TNI Law, which were considered non-transparent.
In addition to this, Yunus was also involved in the Independent Fact-Finding Commission into the series of protests and riots in August 2025 in several cities across Indonesia. The investigative report revealed allegations of excessive use of force by security forces, mass arrests and the criminalisation of civilians.
Moreover the Coalition believes that the attack on Yunus had a systematic and structural pattern, and was linked to a series of attacks and intimidation against human rights defenders in various regions of Indonesia, including Papua.
"When linked to the various terror attacks against activists in Jakarta, Papua, indigenous communities, and students, this indicates a systematic pattern of violence against human rights defenders in Indonesia", said Gobay.
In its statement, the Coalition made several demands, including:
1. The President of the Republic of Indonesia must immediately order security forces to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the terror attack against Yunus.
2. The Kapolri and the Panglima must immediately order legal action against the perpetrators and the intellectual masterminds.
3. The Minister of Human Rights must ensure that the legal process is carried out to protect human rights defenders.
4. The Komnas HAM along with the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) must immediately provide special protection to Yunus.
The coalition also emphasised that protection for human rights defenders is a constitutional mandate and requires public participation, as stipulated under Article 100 of the Human Rights Law, so the state is obligated to ensure the safety of and justice for human rights defenders in Indonesia.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi HAM Papua Desak Kapolri dan Panglima TNI Ungkap Dalang Penyerang Aktivis HAM".]
