The Case of a UAJY Lecturer Dismissed After Reporting Alleged Predatory Journals
A lecturer at Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta (UAJY), identified as R, was dismissed after reporting alleged predatory journal publications. The following is the chronology of R’s dismissal based on a report from LBH Jogja.
Public Lawyer from YLBHI-LBH Jogja, Wetub Toatubun, explained that the case began when R discovered suspected predatory journal publications by several academic community members within the campus. “R had reported allegations of predatory journal publications by several colleagues, including campus bureaucratic officials and professors,” Wetub said when contacted on Thursday (11/6/2026).
According to Wetub, the report made by R was not baseless. R had reportedly gathered a number of pieces of evidence before submitting the report to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) and the foundation. Wetubun stated that R hoped to receive protection as a whistleblower, as it is not easy for someone to expose suspected violations of academic integrity within a campus environment.
However, instead of receiving protection, Wetub said R was summoned by the rectorate. During the clarification process, R was assessed as having acted in a way that could potentially tarnish the university’s reputation by reporting the alleged predatory journals. “The rectorate considered that what R did, namely sending emails and reporting the alleged predatory journals, would tarnish the good name of UAJY,” he said.
Wetubun argued that his client actually intended to restore the campus’s reputation by encouraging an investigation and sanctions against the alleged violations. He then detailed the chronology leading up to R’s dismissal. Before the termination letter was issued, R was given three options by the campus: first, to resign; second, to retract the report submitted to the ministry and issue an apology; third, if both options were rejected, R would be dishonourably dismissed.
“R refused to choose because, according to R, this was discriminatory treatment. Why should she be sanctioned, rather than the people suspected of involvement with predatory journals,” he said. On 17 April, R finally received the dismissal letter. However, LBH assessed that the reason for the dismissal was unclear. Wetub stated that while the dismissal letter mentioned R committed a disciplinary violation, the specific reasons and description of the violation were not detailed in the decision’s considerations.
Wetub also claimed that R had attempted to submit reports through the campus’s internal mechanism since 2024, but these were not followed up. Additionally, Wetub said R had contacted Scopus to confirm the status of the publications in question, receiving a reply that the journal had been discontinued. He mentioned that the number of parties suspected of involvement in the predatory journal publications reached over a dozen, including campus officials and professors, though he was not yet willing to disclose their identities.
Going forward, Wetub said LBH Jogja plans to advocate for R’s dismissal case through employment law channels while pushing for follow-up on the predatory journal report submitted to the relevant ministry. “In our view, what R did is a form of academic freedom and as a whistleblower she should have received protection,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the legal representative of the Slamet Rijadi Yogyakarta Foundation (YSRY), Hengky Widhi Antoro, stated that the foundation respects the legal efforts undertaken by R. “As we have conveyed in our release, in principle we respect R’s right to pursue legal action, which is currently in process,” Hengky clarified when contacted via short message on Sunday (14/6). Previously, YSRY also confirmed that lecturer R was dishonourably dismissed, with the case resolution process spanning from 2024 to 2026.