Indonesian Police Name Cleric Suspect in Student Harassment Case
Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Indonesian police have named Syekh Ahmad Al Misry a suspect in a sexual harassment case involving students.
- The suspect is accused of sexually harassing multiple students between 2017 and 2025.
- The investigation is ongoing, and the police have not yet disclosed details about the suspect's upcoming summons.
Indonesian authorities have taken a significant step in addressing allegations of sexual misconduct by naming Syekh Ahmad Al Misry a suspect in a case involving the alleged harassment of students. The National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) made this determination after a case review on Wednesday, April 22. This development comes after a report was filed against Al Misry, who is known for his appearances on television as a Hafiz Al-Qur'an judge.
The investigators have named brother SAM as a suspect.
The victims, represented by their legal counsel Benny Jehadu, have reported experiencing profound psychological trauma as a result of the alleged incidents. According to Jehadu, the alleged harassment occurred over several years, with victims reporting incidents dating back as far as 2017 and as recently as 2025. This timeline indicates a pattern of alleged abuse that has spanned nearly a decade, affecting multiple individuals.
In order to provide protection and services to the victims, an investigation process has been carried out by the Dittipid PPA and PPO of Bareskrim Polri.
The Bareskrim has stated that the investigation is being conducted by the Directorate of PPA and PPO Crimes to ensure the protection and service for the victims. While the suspect has been officially named, further details regarding his summons for questioning have not yet been released. This case highlights the ongoing efforts within Indonesia to combat sexual harassment and hold perpetrators accountable, particularly within educational or religious settings where vulnerability may be heightened.
Most of the time, this is around 2017, so there are several different victims. Some in 2017, 2018, up to someone in 2025. But the times are different.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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