Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition strongly condemns and calls for a thorough investigation into the acid attack on Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus.
Kontras Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya called the terror attack experienced by Yunus a sign of the decline of democracy in Indonesia. He also highlighted the ongoing terror and intimidation that Kontras has faced for the last 28 years.
"I want to convey that this situation is no longer an alarm. We are gathered here not to convey that we are in a state of democratic alarm, that this is the abyss of democracy, this is the lowest point of democracy", he said at a press conference on Friday March 13.
"I just want to say one thing. Kontras has always taken action, has experienced several terror attacks, which of course require investigation, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted", he added.
He then urged law enforcement officials to seriously investigate the case. Arya stated that this terror attack will never stop Kontras' efforts, which have been built over 28 years.
"We ask for accountability from law enforcement for our country's commitment to protecting human rights. We also demand that the current regime, which is willing and has established a Ministry of Human Rights, stand with human rights defenders", he explained.
Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid meanwhile asked for a thorough investigation into Yunus' case.
"We are here to strongly condemn the acid attack on Andrie Yunus. This is not the first time Andrie Yunus has experienced an attack", he explained.
Hamdi said that In recent times Andrie has often been involved in military related issues. However, he emphasised that this does not necessarily mean the perpetrators were from the military.
"So we must conduct a serious investigation, and terror usually arises amidst tensions and conflicts among the political elite. This is what we must examine carefully so we can connect it to the attack on Andrie Yunus", he said.
Finally, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Muhammad Isnur said he believes that Yunus is a courageous figure.
Isnur admitted to having communicated with the police following the acid attack on Yunus. Therefore, he urged the police to identify the perpetrators and masterminds behind the attack.
"Since last night, we've been observing and communicating with the police, they've already gone over everything. There should be no obstacles to identifying the perpetrators and the mastermind behind them. The question is whether they have the courage to reveal who's behind it", he said.
"Therefore, we urge the Kapolri [National Police Chief], the Kapolda [Regional Police Chief] to use all your detective capabilities to uncover this, so that it can be proven that the police exist. So that you can say that detectives have the capability", he continued.
Earlier, Yunus was the victim of an acid attack in Central Jakarta on Thursday night March 12. Arya said the incident occurred after Yunus attended a podcast event titled "Re-militarism and Judicial Review in Indonesia" at the YLBHI offices at around 11 pm.
"He suffered an acid attack by unknown persons (OTK) that resulted in serious injuries all over his body especially to his right and left hands, face, chest as well as his eyes", he said in a written statement on Friday March 13.
Arya said that as a result of the incident, Yunus was immediately rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. He said that an examination revealed that Yunus suffered burns over 24 percent of his body. "From the examination, Andrie suffered burns to 24 percent", he said.
Based on a chronology of the incident, Arya said the attack began when Andrie was riding his motorcycle on Jalan Salemba I-Talang in Central Jakarta.
At that time, the two perpetrators approached him from the opposite direction on Jalan Talang (Talang Bridge) on a motorcycle, believed to be a 2016-2021 Honda Beat automatic motorcycle.
"The perpetrators were two men who carried out their operation by using one motorcycle, acting as a passenger and driver respectively", he said.
He described the characteristics of the first alleged perpetrator as wearing a white and blue combination shirt, dark trousers suspected to be jeans and a black helmet.
Meanwhile, the second perpetrator, the passenger, wore a black face covering or face mask resembling a "buff" that covered half his face, a dark blue shirt and blue trousers rolled up into shorts, possibly made of jeans.
"One of the perpetrators then threw acid at the victim, hitting him on various parts of his body. As a result of the attack, the victim immediately screamed in pain and dropped his motorcycle", he explained. (tfq/isn)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Desak Polisi Usut Teror Air Keras ke Aktivis KontraS".]
