Calls for justice mount as Indonesian activist maimed in acid attack

JAKARTA: Two men on a motorbike threw acid in the face of an Indonesian rights activist, leaving him badly hurt and prompting calls on Friday (Mar 13) for a thorough investigation amid concerns of democratic backsliding in the country.Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group, sustained se

JAKARTA: Two men on a motorbike threw acid in the face of an Indonesian rights activist, leaving him badly hurt and prompting calls on Friday (Mar 13) for a thorough investigation amid concerns of democratic backsliding in the country.Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group, sustained serious injuries to his face, an eye, hands and chest in the attack in Jakarta late Thursday.Andrie was riding a motorbike when he was approached by two men on a scooter, one of whom threw acid at him, according to KontraS coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya. Both attackers had their faces concealed.Andrie, who had previously received threats for his activism, was rushed to hospital with burns to 24 percent of his body, said Dimas."We view this acid attack as an attempt to silence critical voices in society," he added.UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "deeply concerned" by the "horrific acid attack"."Those responsible for this cowardly act of violence must be held to account," he said on X. Human rights defenders "must be protected in their vital work and able to raise without fear issues of public concern".Andrie has been a vocal critic of moves to increase the influence of the military in the Indonesian government and had just finished recording a podcast on the topic when he was attacked.

Dimas, the coordinator, urged police "to identify the perpetrators and motives behind the attack" as soon as possible.Jakarta police spokesman Budi Hermanto told AFP an investigation has been opened.UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor also called for a thorough probe into the attack, saying in an X post Friday that impunity for violence against human rights defenders was "unacceptable".Indonesia's minister for law and human rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the incident was "an attack on democracy" and pledged that the perpetrators will be brought to justice."Acts of violence like this must not be tolerated. Whoever the perpetrators are, whatever their motive, (they) must be prosecuted according to the law," Yusril said in a statement on Friday.In its latest report on Southeast Asia's biggest economy, Human Rights Watch said Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general in office since 2024, "has undergone further democratic backsliding, crackdowns on protests, media censorship, and intimidation of activists".