PBI condemns acid attack against Indonesian human rights defender Andrie Yunus
Peace Brigades International (PBI) has joined over 400 organisations and 260 individuals from civil society across the globe in signing a public statement strongly condemning the brutal acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), one of Indonesia's most prominent human rights organisations.
On 12 March 2026, two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle threw acid at Andrie Yunus in the Salemba area of Central Jakarta. The attack left him with severe burns covering 20 percent of his body, including his face, eyes, chest, and both hands. The assault occurred immediately after he had recorded a podcast on remilitarization and a judicial review of Indonesia's recently revised Military Law.
This attack is not an isolated incident. It must be understood as part of a wider pattern of intimidation against human rights defenders in Indonesia. In the days before the attack, Andrie Yunus had received repeated threatening calls. He was a member of an independent Fact-Finding Commission that documented serious abuses including disproportionate force, mass arrests, and alleged torture during the nationwide protests of August 2025, which resulted in approximately 13 deaths. He had also been publicly vocal against the revision of the Military Law.
PBI hopes this horrific case serves as a wake-up call for the international community to the situation in Indonesia, where human rights defenders are being threatened and physically attacked for their work. The extraordinary scale of the response to this attack with over 400 organisations and 260 individuals signing in solidarity reflects the gravity with which the global human rights community views what is happening. The international community must pay close attention to the shrinking civic space in Indonesia and stand with those who continue to defend it.
The statement calls for:
An immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation to identify and prosecute both those immediately responsible and those who commissioned the attack.
Guarantees for the safety and protection of Andrie Yunus and his family.
Upholding of constitutional and international obligations to protect all human rights defenders in Indonesia.
