Concern over the erosion of democratic values has grown in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, where the military’s involvement in civilian areas and state-run businesses has increased significantly under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, a retired general.
In a roundtable interview last week, Prabowo said the attack on Andrie was “terrorism,” pledging a thorough investigation and no impunity.
Hundreds of civil society groups in Indonesia, including Amnesty International, have alleged the attack on Andrie was attempted murder.
The activist had just recorded a podcast episode on the subject of military expansion before the incident.
Andrie has been in a Jakarta hospital since the attack and is currently in intensive care following surgery on Wednesday to treat injuries to his right eye, and skin grafts around his eye, chest and shoulder areas, KontraS said.
Responding to the handover of position, KontraS urged Prabowo to form an independent team to investigate the case, saying it should be handled by civil courts instead of the military court, echoing a call earlier this week from the Human Rights Watch.
“What happened to Andrie Yunus is a serious crime that occurred in a civilian space, outside of the context of the military work as well as state defence operations,” KontraS and other civil society groups said in a joint statement.
Read the full article here
