Jailed teacher convicted of sexual abuse secretly released early in Indonesia, BBC finds

Endang NurdinandRebecca Henschke,BBC Eye Investigations An Indonesian teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a student at an Islamic boarding school has been secretly released from prison early, a BBC Eye investigation has found.Moch Subchi Azal Tsani or Bechi, as he is known, is the son of an influential Islamic religious leader. His trial sent shockwaves through Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country where millions of parents send their children to Islamic boarding schools.He was arrested in 2022 at his father's school in East Java where he had taught, after a 15-hour siege involving nearly 1,000 riot police - his family's supporters had gathered in large numbers to prevent his arrest. He was sentenced to seven years in prison later that year.The government withdrew the school's operating licence, but then President Joko Widodo intervened to keep the school open, arguing that the case involved an individual rather than the institution.But our investigation has uncovered further allegations against Bechi, 46, and evidence suggesting that the school and the family attempted to suppress them.Bechi's release comes as the National Commission on Violence against Women warns of an "emergency" of sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools. It says the power of religious leaders is shielding these schools from oversight and repercussions, while discouraging students from reporting abuse.Bechi was recorded at an event earlier this year by BBC reporters who were undercover Of the several female students who alleged abuse and rape against Bechi, only one pursued a legal case that led to him being convicted. Her identity has never been made public. Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence – 16 years – for rape, but the court found Bechi not guilty of rape, and convicted him for the lesser charge of sexual assault.Undercover footage recorded by the BBC now reveals that he has been released after serving less than half his sentence.Viewers in the UK can watch Catching My Teacher on iPlayer from 12:00 BST or on Global Eye on BBC Two at 19:00 BST. Outside the UK, watch on YouTube.Bechi would have been eligible for parole around March 2027, or would have been released at the end of his sentence in 2029. Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections told the BBC that Bechi was released in August 2025 because of "sentence remissions granted to him in accordance with applicable regulations". The ministry said it could not say why his sentence was reduced.Ira Puspitasari was another student who testified at the trial, but her allegations didn't lead to separate charges. She waived her legal right to anonymity to speak publicly about this for the first time."I was treated as his slave. I was held captive, raped, beaten," she says. "I can never forget what he said to me: 'Don't you realise you're just my slave?'"After watching the undercover footage of Bechi smiling and greeting supporters at an event in March, she tears up and says: "It's like nothing ever happened."Ira told the BBC she was raped and sexually abused by him for more than four years, from the time she was 15 years old. She said she tried to run away but Bechi's private security guards tracked her down, kidnapped her and took her to a secluded hut, where Bechi tortured and raped her. She said she was then expelled from the school.She said she reported all of this to the police but was then intimidated into withdrawing her police report. She shared an audio recording of Bechi's mother telling her to say that "nothing had happened".Ira is speaking publicly for the first time about her allegations against Bechi In January this year, after hearing that Bechi may have been released early, BBC undercover reporters attended an annual prayer event at the Shiddiqiyyah Islamic boarding school in East Java.The reporters saw Bechi wearing a mask and sitting beside his father. Just before he appeared on stage, filming and photography was prohibited, a marked difference from previous years. Then in March, BBC reporters again captured Bechi on hidden camera at another prayer event for Eid at his family home located in the same compound as the school.The BBC sought comment from Bechi, his mother and the Shiddiqiyyah school but there has been no response.The students who testified, including the girl he was convicted of sexually assaulting, were placed under witness protection and Indonesian law requires them to be informed of Bechi's release.But they were not informed, Ira and another former student who testified told the BBC. They were stunned by the undercover footage of Bechi because they believed he was still in prison.The ministry said that victims need not be informed because Bechi remains on parole, but the witness protection agency disputed this, saying the victims must still be informed.Ayu Masuroh says she was never abused by Bechi but she started investigating the allegations of abuse against him after hearing about them from schoolmates. She lives close to the school and says she is frightened about Bechi being out of prison."He hates me. His supporters have threatened to kill me many times. I will never feel safe here. I don't feel safe living in Indonesia."Speaking publicly for the first time, she told the BBC she collected testimonies from at least 10 other female students, all of whom alleged that they were sexually assaulted or raped by Bechi.According to her, some said Bechi told them they were "chosen", and one of them said Bechi raped her after calling her for a "personal interview". These accounts were part of the closed-door trial, which alleged years of abuse at the school, according to court records seen by the BBC.Ira and Ayu both testified at Bechi's trial - and say they didn't know he had been released early until they saw the BBC footage Nun Sayuti, a former lawyer for the school who later left and began supporting the students, says he is "deeply disappointed" by Bechi's early release, which is a "violation of victims' rights. They went through a long and difficult legal process to bring this case to light".He, too, testified at trial. He told the court that when the rape allegations first surfaced, Bechi ordered him to make them go away. But when he started investigating the claims, he says he realised he was defending the wrong side and "knew I had to take a stand".Nun then started collecting evidence and before leaving the school secretly recorded Bechi boasting. In the recording the BBC has heard, he says: "In my position, I can have my way with anyone I want."The cases that have come to light across Indonesia in recent years may be just the "tip of the iceberg", the commission on violence against women, or Komnas Perempuan, warned in a statement in May.Students in many schools are unable to report abuse because of inadequate protection mechanisms, it said, and called on the government to strengthen oversight and impose stronger penalties so that religious leaders cannot exercise unchecked power.Bechi's case is one of Indonesia's most high-profile sexual abuse scandals, given the political influence his father wields. Kiai Muchtar Mu'thi combines Islamic teachings with a strong emphasis on Indonesian nationalism, and the school he owns in East Java is part of a wider complex that has thousands of loyal followers.Bechi had been teaching at the school for at least a decade when he was arrested in 2022 despite public opposition. Hundreds of students and supporters gathered behind the gates of the school to prevent police from entering. They stood shoulder to shoulder, raising their fists and chanting that they were prepared to defend the school "with body and soul".ANTARAFOTO/Didik SuhartonoBechi was arrested in 2022 - and tried and convicted shortly afterOver the years, Muchtar and his school – as well as the Shiddiqiyyah complex it sits in – have drawn public figures looking for support in what is a key political battleground. In 2014, then-presidential candidate Joko Widodo visited during his political campaign. Five years later, his successor Prabowo Subianto did the same.Indonesia's national police chief visited the school and met Muchtar in August last year, saying he wanted to forge closer ties with Shiddiqiyyah.It was the family's connections and clout that Ira says persuaded her to withdraw her allegations against Bechi."I was terrified," she told the BBC, adding that it escalated as his supporters began giving her death threats.In June 2018, Ira and her father were summoned to a hotel near the school, she says, where she met Bechi's mother, Nyai Shofwatul Ummah.Ira secretly recorded their conversation and shared it with the BBC. In it Bechi's mother says that her son had "made mistakes, perhaps in his relationship with Ira. So I apologise".She then urges Ira to withdraw her police report. "Nothing happened, it's only family business," she tells her.Ira says that fearing for her safety, she signed a statement retracting her allegations, which she now regrets.When the case went to trial, Ira says she was questioned for hours, where they "asked these really probing questions – very painful questions. I told the court everything”.Now watching the footage of Bechi out of prison, she says, "it feels as if he has won and I've lost"."It's very important the world knows. It's true. He is free. It's just a complete mockery of the law."