Komnas Names Activist Andrie Yunus as Human Rights Defender 

JAKARTA - The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has given the status of Human Rights Defender through letter Number 001/PM.04/HRD/TIWA/III/2026 to KontraS activist Andrie Yunus, who was a victim of water spraying on Thursday (12/3) night.

Commissioner for Monitoring and Investigation of Komnas HAM Saurlin P Siagian said the Human Rights Defender letter was issued on Tuesday, March 17, 2206, and was handed over to the victim's companion.

"First, a letter of defense for human rights on behalf of Andrie Yunus, Number 001/PM.04/HRD/TIWA/III/2026 dated March 17, 2026, which was submitted to the victim through his companion," he said as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, March 17.

The assessment of the status, said Saurlin, was carried out from March 12 to March 16, 2026 in accordance with Regulation of the National Human Rights Commission Number 5 of 2015 concerning the procedure for providing protection to human rights defenders, and is used to meet the protection of victims.

On the same occasion, the Coordinator of the Human Rights Enforcement Sub-Commission of Komnas HAM, Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi, said that the assessment was carried out by communicating with KontraS to obtain information about the victim's background or track record as an activist.

"We also continue to communicate with our friends in contrast to get various information including how we issued this human rights defender certificate," he said.

In addition, the letter of protection, said Pramono, has been received by the Jakarta Raya Metropolitan Regional Police (Polda Metro Jaya) as a quick response to protect activists from criminalization and law enforcement efforts.

"Regarding the authority of Komnas HAM, the protection letter that we issued was given to the Polda Metro Jaya. This is usually given as a quick response from Komnas HAM for criminalization events or arbitrary enforcement of the law to activists," he said.

Furthermore, Pramono explained the meaning of the rapid response to the enforcement of the status and protection letter as a message for law enforcement officers (APH) to uncover the case quickly.

"We want to send a message that this case has received attention from Komnas GAP so that it needs to be disclosed quickly, do not carry out arbitrary enforcement of the law, that is the message from this letter of protection," he said.