Doctor Accused of Spreading False Information on Jokowi's Diploma

Indonesian prosecutors have charged physician Tifauzia Tyassuma, widely known as dr. Tifa, for allegedly spreading false information on social media that President Joko Widodo used a fake diploma. Prosecutors stated that her claims created a public perception that her assertions were true. "The statements made by the defendant by disseminating electronic information and/or electronic documents, as if they were authentic data, have shaped public perception to believe or be convinced that the S-1 diploma of witness Ir. H. Joko Widodo is fake," said the prosecutor during the reading of the indictment at the East Jakarta District Court on Thursday (2/7/2026). As an example, the prosecutor cited an incident on April 1, 2025, where a witness named Dian Sandi Utama uploaded a photo of Jokowi's S1 diploma on his personal X account, @DianSandiU. The caption read, "For those who are arguing about the photocopy of Mr. @jokowi's diploma that I uploaded in the thread. To let you rest during the holidays: here I upload the original, with an attached diploma photo." Dr. Tifa responded to this upload on her account, @DokterTifa, on April 4, 2025. In her post, the defendant wrote: 'It's time to bring the issue of fake diplomas and fake theses to the international stage. Because this is not just about forgery committed by world-class corruptors according to OCCRP. This is the Biggest Political Scandal in Indonesia, possibly involving International Digital Forensic Experts like INTERPOL Digital Forensic, National Center for Media Forensic (NCMF), Berkeley Digital Forensic US, and Major Media like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera.' Furthermore, prosecutors quoted segments from videos uploaded on the YouTube channel Inews. For instance, a talk show dated April 29, 2025, titled 'Full Tiga Pelapor Ijazah Jokowi Bersaksi | Rakyat Bersuara' (Full: Three Complainants of Jokowi's Diploma Testify | The People Speak). The prosecutor stated that the S1 diploma analyzed by dr. Tifa using her scientific methods was not sourced from the legitimate owner of the diploma, Jokowi. It was also mentioned that Tifa did not make any efforts to verify, confirm, or obtain permission from Jokowi. "Thus, the electronic information and/or electronic documents used as the basis for the defendant's analysis were done without authorization," he said. Dr. Tifa is charged under the primary indictment of Article 434 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 441 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 126 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The subsidiary indictment is Article 433 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 441 Paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 126 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. She is also charged under the second primary indictment of Article 434 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The second subsidiary indictment is Article 310 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, or Article 35 in conjunction with Article 51 Paragraph (1) and/or Article 32 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 48 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions in conjunction with Article 126 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code, or Article 32 in conjunction with Article 48 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions in conjunction with Article 126 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.