Bale Bandung District Court Holds First Closed-Door Hearing for Taufik Hidayat

The Bale Bandung District Court, located in the Bandung Regency, West Java, has held the first hearing for defendant Taufability Hidayat, accused of assault and unlawful detention, in a closed session due to the case involving Sexual Violence Crimes (TPKS).

“Before commencing, we are providing an opportunity for media colleagues and journalists here to take photographs, as the hearing is being held privately,” stated member judge Dwi Sugianto when opening the trial in Bandung on Wednesday.

Dwi noted that reporters are permitted to leave the courtroom after taking photographs, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

The session marks the first trial for Taufik Hidayat, with the agenda focusing on the reading of the indictment by the Public Prosecutor regarding the assault and unlawful detention of a woman identified by the initials YTR (29).

The panel of judges, led by Vici Daniel Valentino alongside member judges Dwi Sugianto and Ari, entered the courtroom at approximately 11:00 WIB, while Taufik was already seated in the defendant’s dock.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Legal Information Section of the West Java High Prosecutor’s Office, Nur Sricahyawijaya, stated that Taufik’s trial has been held privately since the first agenda because it pertains to decency under the TPKS Law.

He added that the trial will only be opened to the public when it reaches the verdict stage, though journalists may still request information regarding the proceedings from the Public Prosecutor or the Bandung Regency District Prosecutor’s Office.

“When the verdict is delivered, the session will be open to the public. Therefore, it is closed from the start and will only become open during the verdict agenda,” he said.