Komnas Perempuan Apologises After Controversial Statement on YTR Case

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has come under fire after stating that the case of YTR, a victim of abuse and confinement by Taufik Hidayat in Bandung, did not constitute torture. The public responded sharply to the statement, leading to an apology from the commission.

The controversy began when Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Sondang Frishka Simanjuntak said YTR’s case could not yet be categorised as torture under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. She made the remarks during a press conference for International Anti-Torture Day at the Ombudsman office in Jakarta on Friday (26/6/2026).

“For the YTR case, we need to convey that we cannot yet view it as a case of torture within the definition of the Convention Against Torture. The convention requires that the act is intended to cause severe pain for a specific purpose,” Sondang said during a Q&A session with journalists, as seen on the Ombudsman RI YouTube channel on Sunday (28/6/2026).

She explained that under the UN convention, the definition of torture requires an objective such as obtaining a confession, discrimination, and state involvement. Sondang questioned whether there was negligence by the state in this case. “We have seen that the actions caused severe pain. The impact was extraordinary,” she said. “What we need to examine now is whether there was negligence by the local government, for instance regarding her boarding house, or by law enforcement. For example, if the victim had tried to report her case but it was not followed up.”

She stated that the element of state negligence in YTR’s case still needed further investigation. Komnas Perempuan is committed to overseeing the case by deploying a team to Bandung. “That is where we can see if there was state involvement through negligence, which would then place it in the category of torture under the convention. As far as what we can do, Komnas Perempuan has already sent a team to Bandung, and in the next two days we may be able to convey our findings to the public,” Sondang added.

Komnas Perempuan described the case as a severe, premeditated assault that caused significant impact on the victim. “But what we can currently see from YTR’s case is that a severe, planned assault occurred, which was carried out continuously and resulted in severe impacts, even leading to disability,” she added.

The commission urged for a comprehensive medical examination of YTR. If evidence of sexual violence is found, they argued, the perpetrator could face multiple charges. “And for that, we also urge a thorough medical examination. Perhaps acts of sexual violence will also be found, so that the charges against the perpetrator can be layered and complete, not just severe assault under the Criminal Code, but also using the Sexual Violence Crime Law,” she added.

Following the public criticism, Komnas Perempuan issued an apology. The commission assessed that the case involved extreme, sadistic, and cruel layered violence that degraded human dignity. “Komnas Perempuan understands the significant public attention on YTR’s case in Bandung. For this reason, Komnas Perempuan sincerely apologises for our statement during the International Day Against Torture press conference on 26 June 2026, which discussed the case within the framework of the Convention Against Torture (CAT),” said Komnas Perempuan Vice Chair Ratna Batara Munti in a written statement on the commission’s official website on Monday (29/6/2026).

Komnas Perempuan stated that YTR’s case is a form of extreme, sadistic, and cruel layered gender-based violence against women, which fulfils the elements of severe assault under criminal law. In everyday public understanding, such actions are also viewed as torture due to the level of cruelty and suffering inflicted. The commission emphasised that its focus from the beginning has never changed: to ensure the protection, recovery, and fulfilment of the victim’s rights and to support law enforcement that delivers justice for the victim.

The commission explained that its previous statement was delivered in the context of discussing the Convention Against Torture, which was ratified through Law Number 5 of 1998. Article 1 of the convention defines perpetrators of torture as public officials or non-state actors acting at the instigation or with the consent or acquiescence of the state. Therefore, the commission said, the explanation was not intended to diminish the severity of the violence or the suffering experienced by the victim. “The fact is, this case has resulted in extraordinary suffering and permanent disability for the victim, as well as causing deep physical, psychological, and economic harm,” Komnas Perempuan stated.

Komnas Perempuan also expressed support for the swift actions taken by various parties, including the hospital, victim assistants, the community, local government, and law enforcement, which enabled the victim to be handled properly.