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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Fact Check: UGM Rector Not Arrested, Campus Not Sealed Off Amid Fake Diploma Claims

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A viral narrative falsely claims Gadjah Mada University Rector Ova Emilia was arrested and the campus sealed off.
  • Fact-checking by Tempo revealed the claims are untrue, with campus activities proceeding normally and an AI-generated image used to support the false narrative.
  • The claims emerged after a court ruled that copies of former President Joko Widodo's diploma and transcripts are public information, a decision UGM had appealed.

A fabricated story circulating on social media falsely alleged that Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Rector Ova Emilia was arrested and the university campus was sealed off. These claims gained traction in early August 2026, following a State Administrative Court ruling that rejected UGM's appeal and declared copies of former President Joko Widodo's diploma and academic transcripts as public information.

Tempo's Fact Check Team investigated the narrative and confirmed it to be false. UGM Spokesperson I Made Andi Arsana explicitly denied the arrest and campus seal-off claims, stating, "That information is not true." He confirmed that university activities are ongoing, including orientation for nearly 11,000 new students.

The investigation also identified the accompanying image as an AI fabrication. A comparison of the image, which depicted two female police officers with a detainee in an orange vest, showed discrepancies with Ova Emilia's features. AI scanning tools further confirmed the image contained a high percentage of AI-generated elements. The court case originated from a civic group questioning the authenticity of Jokowi's UGM diploma. While the Central Information Commission declared most requested documents public, UGM's appeal cited concerns over personal data protection.

That information is not true

— I Made Andi ArsanaUGM Spokesperson I Made Andi Arsana denied the claims regarding Ova Emilia’s arrest and the campus seal-off.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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