Prosecutors: Jokowi Felt 'Utterly Humiliated' by Doctor Tifa
Public Prosecutors (JPU) have stated that the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokov), felt “deeply insulted” due to the actions of the defendant, Tifauzia Tyassuma, also known as Dokter Tifa, who accused Jokowi of possessing a fake undergraduate degree.
The prosecutors made this statement while reading the indictment against Dokter Tifa during the first hearing at the East Jakarta District Court on Thursday (2/7).
The prosecutors explained that in March 2025, witness Syarif Muhammad showed Jokowi three posts on the social media platform X that attacked Jokowi’s honour and reputation, primarily alleging that his undergraduate degree was fraudulent. One of these three posts was from Dokter Tifa’s X account.
After viewing these posts, Jokowi requested Syarif to collect all social media posts that attacked his honour and reputation by accusing him of using a fake degree.
On 14 April 2025, Jokowi’s legal team held a press conference to clarify that the allegations regarding his undergraduate degree were untrue and highly misleading. The legal team also stated that Jokowi’s degree is authentic and has been clearly confirmed by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the relevant authorities.
“The legal counsel also reminded the public not to spread further accusations and fake news claiming that Jokowi’s undergraduate degree is fake,” the prosecutor stated.
Between April and May 2025, witness Syarif showed Jokowi a total of 28 posts across various social media platforms attacking Jokowi’s honour and reputation with similar accusations. Out of these 28 posts, five were attributed to the actions of Dokter Tifa.
The prosecutor stated that Jokowi was a student at the Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), officially registered since 28 July 1980. During his studies, the prosecutor noted that Jokowi completed all academic requirements in accordance with the 1982 Undergraduate Study Programme Handbook, totaling 160 credits. Subsequently, Universitas Gadjah Mada issued Forestry Bachelor’s Degree Number: 1120, dated 5 November 1985, in the name of Jokowi.
The prosecutor asserted that as a result of Dokter Tifa’s accusations, Jokowi suffered immaterial losses. “As a result of the defendant’s actions, the witness Jokowi suffered immaterial losses, namely the tarnishing of his personal reputation, feeling deeply insulted and demeaned. Furthermore, there were parties who joined in accusing the witness of using a fake degree to meet the requirements for his previous candidacies as Mayor of Solo, Governor of Jakarta, and the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor stated that the defendant’s actions constituted statements containing false accusations. Because Universitas Gadjah Mada has officially confirmed that Jokowi is a graduate of the Faculty of Forestry at UGM according to academic facts, the defendant continued to allege that the witness’s degree was fake through social media posts and talk shows.
“Regarding the defendant’s accusations against the witness Jokowi, the defendant cannot prove her allegations, and the accusations contradict what the defendant knows; therefore, the defendant’s actions constitute an attack on the honour of the witness using information technology,” the prosecutor concluded.