Unsri Lecturer, Suspect Of Sexual Harassment Of 3 Students Threatened With 12 Years In Prison

The South Sumatra Police Team escorted the suspect, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics (FE) Sriwijaya University R (center) after undergoing an examination at the South Sumatra Police. / ANTARA PHOTO

PALEMBANG - A lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at Sriwijaya University (Unsri) with the initials R is threatened with a maximum imprisonment of 12 years for alleged sexual harassment of three of his students.

The threat of punishment is as regulated in Article 9 Juncto Article 35 of Law (UU) number 44 of 2008 concerning Pornography which was imposed by investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Sumatra Police to the lecturer R with the status of a suspect.

Director of the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Sumatra Police Kombes Hisar Siallagan said the article was suspected of suspect R in accordance with the results of the investigation supported by sufficient evidence.

The evidence consists of three units of the victim's device with a phone card, one unit of the suspect's device, including the phone numbers of the victim and the suspect, and a screenshot of a short message via WhatsApp.

"The evidence is sufficient. One of the main pieces of evidence is the phone number used by the suspect. It really belongs to him (the suspect). It was discovered after investigators cooperated with the telecommunications network provider," he said, quoted by Antara, Friday, December 10.

According to Hisar, from the results of the investigation and supported by evidence, it is known that the suspect sent a short message containing pornographic content as reported by the victims.

"During the investigation, the suspect did not admit his actions. But investigators already have sufficient evidence," he said.

In the short message, he continued, it contained suspect R inviting the victim to make a sex video call, ordering the victim to take off her upper underwear.

Suspect R was immediately detained in the detention cell of the South Sumatra Police Directorate of Detention and Evidence for the next 20 days

"The suspect was detained. I have signed the detention letter, it will take effect on Friday at 00.00 a.m. Prior to being arrested, the suspect will undergo a medical examination in accordance with the SOP," he said.

Meanwhile, suspect R underwent intensive examination by investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate from 09.50 a.m. to 19.00 p.m. at the South Sumatra Police Headquarters accompanied by his legal adviser.

In this case, suspect R was reported by three female students with the initials F, C, and D for allegedly sexually harassing them verbally through short messages on social media against them, on Wednesday, December 1.

Regarding the alleged sexual harassment case, the Unsri Secretariat took a stance to disable the lecturer R from his position as Head of the Management Department of the Unsri Faculty of Economics, Bukit Besar campus, Palembang.

The decision to deactivate is stated in the Rector's letter number 452/UN9/SK.BUK.KP/2021 which was issued on Tuesday, December 7, including being released from his duties as a lecturer until the case is resolved.