HIMAHI Criticises UPNVJ's Decision on Sexual Violence Case

A member of the Formative Council of the International Relations Student Association (DF HIMAHI) at the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ), Tammam Rabbani, has criticised the rector’s decree regarding the alleged perpetrator of sexual violence, Zaki Ulumuddin Rahakbau. The UPNVJ rector accepted the perpetrator’s request to resign as a student to transfer to another campus. According to Tammam, the rector should have imposed a severe sanction in the form of termination of studies or dropout (DO) due to the alleged sexual violence. “It should be DO. Because it is unfair to the victim,” he said when contacted on Monday, 20 April 2026. In the Rector’s Decree of UPNVJ Number 45/UN61/HK.03.01/2026, the perpetrator applied to resign as a student to transfer to another campus. The rector approved that application. The decree was signed by the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Henry Binsar H. Sitorus, on 9 March 2026. Tammam stated that the rector’s decree does not explain that Zaki is the alleged perpetrator of sexual violence. According to him, this injustice in the decision will impact the handling of sexual violence victims in the future. He is concerned that future sexual cases will end up like this one. “There will definitely be more Zakis afterwards who have no self-awareness,” said Tammam. He explained that this case began when the perpetrator allegedly spread several photos of UPNVJ female students and high school students on social media X. The photos were spread through the X account @mencariyangenak in November 2025. “They were photographed without the victims’ awareness. Then he uploaded them to social media X with indecent or sexualising captions for those photos,” he said. The photos were exposed when the victim reported to HIMAHI. From that report, it was known that there were more than five victims. In December 2025, the victims then publicised the sexual violence they experienced on social media. HIMAHI, which was in a transitional period of changing leadership, then formed DF HIMAHI. “That formation was to ensure this case is processed immediately,” he said. On 22 December 2025, DF HIMAHI gathered the victims, witnesses, and perpetrator. In that forum, evidence of the alleged sexual violence committed by the perpetrator was presented. The victims and witnesses believed the perpetrator was the owner of the @mencariyangenak account. The evidence was that the account only followed six people, one of whom was the perpetrator. Another piece of evidence, he said, was that one photo came from the orientation activities for the batch or programme orientation. That photo could not be accessed by students outside UPNVJ. “But only by the programme orientation committee and a small portion of International Relations students from the batch who participated in the orientation,” he said. The next evidence, he said, was witness statements who claimed to have spoken with the victim. At that time, the perpetrator recorded the conversation using a camera hidden in his pocket. “The victim still clearly remembers the incident recorded in that video, including who was present at the location during the incident,” he said. After that evidence was presented, the perpetrator initially denied the accusations. However, in the end, the perpetrator admitted his mistake. DF then reported this to the Task Force for Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education (PPKPT) at UPNVJ. However, Tammam admitted he did not know the details of the examination conducted by the task force. Lately, Tammam has regretted the campus’s decision to accept the perpetrator’s resignation request. According to an official statement from the UPNVJ Student Executive Board, on 6 March 2026, the perpetrator applied for permanent termination of studies at his own request. This termination is contained in a letter from the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences to the Head of the Academic, Student Affairs, and Cooperation Bureau Number 264/UN61/FISIP/2026 regarding the issuance of the student’s resignation request. That request was then followed up with the issuance of the Rector’s Decree of the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta Number 45/UN61/HK.03.01/2026 on the Permanent Termination of Studies for the Bachelor’s Programme in International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, in the name of Zaki Ulumuddin Rahakbau. The letter was issued in Jakarta on 9 March 2026 and effective from the even semester of the 2025/2026 academic year. Tempo has tried to contact UPNVJ Rector Anter Venus and the Head of the UPNVJ PPKPT Task Force, Rosalia Dika Agustanti. However, both have not responded. In a copy of the Rector’s Decree of the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta Number 45/UN61/HK.03.01/2026, it is explained that the perpetrator resigned at his own request. The campus then approved the perpetrator’s resignation. With that decision, the perpetrator is no longer entitled to academic services from UPNVJ. “And the student’s Student ID Card is declared invalid,” states the decision. However, the letter does not explain that the reason for the request was due to alleged involvement in a sexual violence case.