Joint Letter to the Indonesian Embassy in Thailand Following the Acid Attack on KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus

To:

Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia,
600-602 Petchburi Road, Ratchatewi,
Bangkok 10400 Thailand

Your Excellency,

We, civil society organizations, write to convey our serious concern in regards to the Acid attack against KontraS Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus which took place on 12 March 2026 in Central Jakarta. We condemn such an attack by targeting vital parts of the body including eyes, face, to the chest. We also discovered his recent medical assessments which confirm that Andrie sustained burns covering approximately 20% of his body that made him undergo intensive treatment.

The incident, along with series of attacks as well as intimidation against KontraS prior to Andrie Yunus’ case – such as the premeditated murder of KontraS founder Munir Said Thalib, frequent physical terror to KontraS office, efforts to KontraS office raid, criminalization of two KontraS former coordinators Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar, as well as digital attacks to KontraS members – constitute a grave and systematic attack against human rights defenders.

We are also troubled by the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD)’s recent findings on Andrie Yunus on 16 March 2026 that prior to the incident, there were indications of suspicious activities, including repeated calls from unknown numbers over several days and prior surveillance activities.

The attack shows strong indications of premeditation, including prior surveillance and the involvement of multiple actors. As elaborated in the TAUD press conference, investigations must be done thoroughly by not only highlighting the perpetrator on the ground, but also those orchestrating the entire agenda.

Worse, the recurring pattern on the use of dangerous chemical liquid such as the Hazardous Acid thrown to Andrie and Novel Baswedan – former investigator of Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission, in 2016 – raises concerns regarding Indonesia’s alarming civic space climate, specifically to those, individuals or organizations, working to uphold human rights in Indonesia.

In light of the above, we respectfully urge the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to convey the following recommendations:

1. To urge the President of Indonesia to establish an independent investigative mechanism to ensure impartiality and accountability in the current investigation process;

2. To urge the President of Indonesia to establish a formal regulation on the protection of human rights defenders in Indonesia and the prevention of further attacks, in line with Indonesia’s constitutional and international human rights obligations;

3. To push for the Indonesian National Police to ensure a prompt, thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into the attack, including uncovering all perpetrators, planners, and instigators;

4. To ensure the Victim and Witness Protection Agency to fully guarantee the safety and protection of the victim, his family, witnesses, and legal representatives;

5. To ensure the National Commission on Human Rights to fully exercise the Commission Regulation No.5 of 2015 on Procedure of Protection for Human Rights Defenders as well as Norms and Regulation Standard of the Commission No. 4 of 2021 to ensure the safety of Andrie Yunus as a human rights defender; and

6. To the Attorney General to exercise appropriate legal frameworks that reflect the gravity of the crime, including provisions related to attempted premeditated murder.

We believe that addressing this case in a credible and accountable manner is essential not only for ensuring justice for Mr. Yunus, but also for maintaining Indonesia’s commitment to democratic values and the protection of human rights. Especially to address the irony in which Indonesia holds a vital position as the President of the Human Rights Council since January 2026.

We thank you for your attention to this matter and trust that the Indonesian Embassy will give this issue the serious consideration it deserves.

Respectfully submitted by the following organizations:

1. Asia Justice and Rights
2. Burma Rights, Myanmar
3. Creative Home, Myanmar
4. Equality Myanmar (EQMM), Myanmar
5. Fortify Rights
6. Generation Network, Myanmar
7. HTOI Gender and Development Foundation, Myanmar
8. Human Rights and Development Foundation, Thailand
9. Human Rights Educators’ Network (HREN), Myanmar
10. Irrawaddy Law School, Myanmar
11. Justice and Equality Focus (JEF), Myanmar
12. Kachin Human Rights Watch, Myanmar
13. Minority Affairs Institute (MAI), Myanmar
14. Peace Strings, Myanmar
15. Shwe Phee Myay News Agency, Myanmar
16. Spirit in Education Movement (SEM), Thailand