An Indonesian teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a student at an Islamic boarding school has been secretly released from prison early. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

Moch Subchi Azal Tsani, known as Bechi, is the son of an influential Islamic religious leader. His trial sent shockwaves through Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country where millions of parents send their children to Islamic boarding schools. He was arrested in 2022 at his father's school in East Java where he had taught, after a 15-hour siege involving nearly 1,000 riot police — his family's supporters had gathered in large numbers to prevent his arrest. He was sentenced to seven years in prison later that year.

The government withdrew the school's operating licence, but then President Joko Widodo intervened to keep the school open, arguing that the case involved an individual rather than the institution.

The BBC investigation uncovered further allegations against Bechi, 46, and evidence suggesting that the school and the family attempted to suppress them. Bechi's release comes as the National Commission on Violence against Women warns of an "emergency" of sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools. It says the power of religious leaders is shielding these schools from oversight and repercussions, while discouraging students from reporting abuse.

Of the several female students who alleged abuse and rape against Bechi, only one pursued a legal case that led to him being convicted. Her identity has never been made public. Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence – 16 years – for rape, but the court found Bechi not guilty of rape, and convicted him for the lesser charge of sexual assault.

Undercover footage recorded by the BBC now reveals that he has been released after serving less than half his sentence. Bechi would have been eligible for parole around March 2027, or would have been released at the end of his sentence in 2029. Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections told the BBC that Bechi was released in August 2025 because of "sentence remissions granted to him in accordance with applicable regulations". The ministry said it could not say why his sentence was reduced.

Ira Puspitasari was another student who testified at the trial, but her allegations didn't lead to separate charges. She waived her legal right to anonymity to speak publicly about this for the first time. "I was treated as his slave. I was held captive, raped, beaten," she says. "I can never forget what he said to me: 'Don't you realise you're just my slave?'" After watching the undercover footage of Bechi smiling and greeting supporters at an event in March, she tears up and says: "It's like nothing ever happened."

Ira told the BBC she was raped and sexually abused by him for more than four years, from the time she was 15 years old. She said she tried to run away but Bechi's private security guards tracked her down, kidnapped her and took her to a secluded hut, where Bechi tortured and raped her. She said she was then expelled from the school. She said she reported all of this to the police but was then intimidated into withdrawing her police report. She shared an audio recording of Bechi's mother telling her to say that "nothing had happened".

In January this year, after hearing that Bechi may have been released early, BBC undercover reporters attended an annual prayer event at the Shiddiqiyyah Islamic boarding school in East Java. The reporters saw Bechi wearing a mask and sitting beside his father. Just before he appeared on stage, filming and photography was prohibited, a marked difference from previous years.

Then in March, BBC reporters again captured Bechi on hidden camera at another prayer event for Eid at his family home located in the same compound as the school. The BBC sought comment from Bechi, his mother and the Shiddiqiyyah school but there has been no response.

The students who testified, including the girl he was convicted of sexually assaulting, were placed under witness protection and Indonesian law requires them to be informed of Bechi's release. But they were not informed, Ira and another former student who testified told the BBC. They were stunned by the undercover footage of Bechi because they believed he was still in prison.

The ministry said that victims need not be informed because Bechi remains on parole, but the witness protection agency disputed this, saying the victims must still be informed.

Ayu Masuroh says she was never abused by Bechi but she started investigating the allegations of abuse against him after hearing about them from schoolmates. She lives close to the school and says she is frightened about Bechi being out of prison.