JAKARTA: An acid attack that maimed an Indonesian rights activist was an act of terror, President Prabowo Subianto said in an interview, vowing accountability.
Andrie Yunus, deputy coordinator of Jakarta-based NGO KontraS, was riding a motorbike last week when he was approached by two men on a scooter, one of whom threw acid at him, according to the group.
He suffered injuries to his face, an eye, hands and torso.
"This is terrorism, isn't it? A barbaric act. We must pursue (the perpetrators)," Prabowo said in an interview published Thursday (March 19) on his personal YouTube channel.
The former general vowed to "uphold the law" regardless of who was behind the attack.
The military detained four soldiers from the armed forces' intelligence unit on Wednesday, suspecting their involvement.
The same day, the Jakarta Police released CCTV footage showing the faces of two people suspected of attacking Andrie. Their links to the detained soldiers were unclear.
Andrie has repeatedly taken issue with the military's influence in the government and had recorded a podcast on the topic shortly before he was attacked.
Lawmakers agreed on Wednesday 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.
Indonesia "has undergone further democratic backsliding, crackdowns on protests, media censorship and intimidation of activists" under Prabowo, Human Rights Watch said in its latest report on the country. - AFP
