MUI Demands Maximum Sentence for Bandung Abduction Perpetrator Taufik Hidayat

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is urging the police to impose the maximum possible criminal sanctions and punishment on the perpetrator to create a deterrent effect in the case of the abduction and assault of YTR in Bandung. “Therefore, the punishment must be as severe as possible and must be the maximum so that it creates a deterrent effect. If not, it will happen again,” said Siti Ma’rifah, Chair of the MUI for Women, Youth, and Family, in Jakarta on Wednesday, 24 June 2026. The West Java Regional Police previously arrested Taufik Hidayat, the suspect in the confinement and abuse of a woman with the initials YTR (29) at the Griya Pesona housing complex in Ciparay, Bandung Regency. The arrest was made after investigators discovered the suspect’s digital footprint through his online transaction activities. Siti Ma’rifah stressed that the violence committed by the perpetrator not only injured the victim physically and psychologically but also constituted a multi-layered violation of social and spiritual order. According to her, a heavy sentence for the suspect is absolutely necessary to break the erroneous stigma that often takes root in unhealthy romantic relationships. She noted that perpetrators of violence often feel entitled to treat their partners arbitrarily under the pretext of love or closeness. “So, it is considered that if we love someone, we can treat that person as we please. This must not be allowed. Therefore, violations of the law, violations of religious values, violations of social and cultural norms, all of these must be punished,” she said. Reflecting on the case involving a victim who was not married to the perpetrator, MUI appealed to the younger generation to be more sensitive to signs of violence from their partners. Siti Ma’rifah urged teenagers to be brave in making firm decisions and to immediately end friendships if they begin to show unhealthy possessive tendencies. “If this partner or person close to us is already showing symptoms and forcing their will, it is unhealthy, so they must be left immediately,” she said.