A former Islamic boarding school teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a student has been sent back to prison in Indonesia following the revocation of his secret early release. Mochamad Subchi Azal Tsani, the son of the founder of the prominent Shiddiqiyyah boarding school in East Java, had received a seven-year sentence in 2022. Government authorities intervened after public disclosures revealed he had been freed without the knowledge of his victim.
His conditional release has been officially cancelled.
Corrections officials quietly granted Tsani parole in August 2025 after he served less than half of his judicial sentence. Under Indonesian law, victims possess a statutory right to be notified of an offender`s pending release, a requirement that was disregarded. The disclosure prompted immediate criticism from lawmakers, leading the government to conduct an internal inquiry that uncovered administrative errors in the approval process.
Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto stated that officials responsible for sanctioning the irregular release would face disciplinary penalties. The victim, who chose to remain anonymous, welcomed the decision and called for consistent judicial fairness across the country. Ira Puspitasari, another former student who testified during the trial, described the reversal as a meaningful recognition of survivor testimonies.
The case also prompted a parliamentary hearing addressing institutional accountability and protection mechanisms within religious schools. Legal advocate Joko Jumadi told lawmakers that investigations into influential figures frequently encounter institutional reluctance and intimidation from dedicated followings.
Tsani was initially apprehended in 2022 following a 15-hour police operation at the boarding school, where supporters attempted to block law enforcement. While prosecutors originally pursued broader charges, the court acquitted him of rape while finding him guilty of sexual assault. Representatives of the boarding school and the defendant did not issue statements regarding the re-incarceration.
