President Prabowo Subianto calls acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus a barbaric act of terror, vows to pursue perpetrators as military detains four soldiers.
JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has labelled a recent acid attack on a prominent human rights activist an act of terrorism.
In an interview published on his personal YouTube channel, Prabowo called the assault on Andrie Yunus a “barbaric act” and vowed to pursue the perpetrators.
“We must pursue (the perpetrators),” the president said, adding a commitment to “uphold the law” regardless of who was behind the attack.
Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of the Jakarta-based NGO KontraS, was attacked last week while riding a motorbike.
Two men on a scooter approached him, with one throwing acid that caused injuries to his face, eye, hands and torso.
The military has since detained four soldiers from the armed forces’ intelligence unit on suspicion of involvement.
Jakarta Police have released CCTV footage showing the faces of two suspected attackers, though their links to the detained soldiers remain unclear.
Andrie has been a vocal critic of the military’s influence in government and recorded a podcast on the topic shortly before the attack.
Indonesian lawmakers agreed to form a special committee to oversee the handling of the case.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said last week he was “deeply concerned” by the “horrific” attack and called for accountability.
Human Rights Watch, in its latest report, stated Indonesia “has undergone further democratic backsliding, crackdowns on protests, media censorship and intimidation of activists” under Prabowo.
