"An Indonesian court was told Herry Wirawan's young victims gave
birth while still attending the boarding school he opened, and their babies
were used to secure donations.."
Herry Wirawan has been sentenced to death in Indonesia
The firing squad has
condemned an Indonesian teacher for impregnating at least eight female
students in the first sentencing of its kind.
Herry Wirawan, 36, got
the girls pregnant between 2016 and 2021 at a boarding school he operated for
those from poorer backgrounds.
A court was told his
young victims gave birth while still at the learning facility, and their babies
were used to secure more donations for the school.
Wirawan was first
given a life sentence in February, but the High Court in Bandung, Indonesia,
has now changed it to the death penalty.
Herri Swantoro, the
presiding judge, said the defendant had deeply hurt his victims. And committed
"the most serious crime."
Police officers stand
guard during the verdict trial against Wirawan
It is the first time a
death sentence has been handed down by Indonesian authorities in a sexual
assault case, sparking protests from those opposed to capital punishment.
Wirawan, the court
heard, had been sexually abusing students since 2016, when he opened the
boarding school in Bandung City in West Java.
It was an Islamic
school that lured students in with offers of scholarships for young people from
the poverty-stricken area.
Wirawan's crime
prompted anger in Indonesia over sexual violence rates and abuse of women
and also sparked calls for a sexual violence eradication bill to be enacted.
Activists have been
lobbying for the bill for nearly ten years, but lawmakers have delayed the
legislation.
A family member of one
of Wirawan's victims hoped his death by firing squad would act as a deterrent,
according to ThisweekinAsia.
Wirawan had been
sexually abusing students since opening the boarding school in 2016
"Thank God, this has
made history. Hopefully, this death sentence will deter other perpetrators who
are still out there," they said.
Usman Hamid, executive
director of Amnesty Indonesia, said the defendant's actions were 'truly
intolerable' but said the death penalty was against international law and
standards.
"Legal
protections for the right to life must apply equally to all individuals.
"Punishing just one
person with a death sentence will not change the sexual violence emergency in
Indonesia."
In Indonesia, capital
punishment sentences are usually only given to murderers, drug traffickers, and
terrorists.
A firing squad carries
out the executions, consisting of members of a police unit known as Brimob.
The rape of a child
usually carries 15 years in prison, but judges have additional powers to hand
down harsher sentences.
The death penalty had
been added as an option for child abusers in changes to the country's child
protection laws.
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