Prosecutor: Jokowi Felt Insulted and Degraded by Doctor Tifa

The Public Prosecutor has charged Tifauzia Tyassuma, also known as Dr Tifa, with committing criminal defamation and slander regarding her statements about the authenticity of the diploma belonging to Indonesia’s 7th President, Joko Widodo (Jokowi). The prosecutor assessed that Jokowi suffered immaterial damage to his personal reputation due to Dr Tifa’s actions. “Witness Joko Widodo felt he was insulted as deeply as possible and degraded as low as possible, and there were even parties who joined in accusing the witness,” the prosecutor stated while reading the indictment at the East Jakarta District Court on Thursday, 2 July 2026. The prosecutor explained that Jokowi became aware of the alleged defamation and slander from social media posts claiming his undergraduate diploma from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) was fake. Upon collection, five posts were identified as attacking Jokowi’s dignity and honour. Meanwhile, the prosecutor revealed possessing a number of pieces of evidence confirming the authenticity of the 7th president’s diploma. Based on the official report of a criminalistic laboratory examination conducted by the police, it was concluded that Jokowi’s diploma was identical to 14 comparison documents. Furthermore, according to the UGM study programme guidebook, a forestry undergraduate diploma numbered 1120, dated 5 November 1985, was issued in the name of Joko Widodo. “The defendant could not prove her accusations, and the accusations contradicted what the defendant knew,” the prosecutor stated. On these grounds, Dr Tifa was charged primarily with violating Article 434 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 441 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 126 paragraph 1. The subsidiary charges include Article 434 paragraph 1, subsidiary Article 310 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, and subsidiary Article 35 in conjunction with Article 51 paragraph 1 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law.