Rizieq Shihab Suspends TPUA Following Diploma Controversy
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Former Chairman of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab, currently serving as the Advisory Board of the Ulama and Activist Defense Team (TPUA), has suspended the TPUA organization. This decision follows the ongoing polemic surrounding allegations of a falsified diploma attributed to the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.
TPUA Chairman Eggi Sudjana stated that Rizieq conveyed the decision during a meeting on Sunday, February 15, 2026. According to Sudjana, the meeting addressed both the organizational crisis within TPUA and the withdrawal of the mandate for the team’s operations, though the timing of a potential reinstatement remains unspecified.
“TPUA was frozen by Habib Rizieq. The term mandate was withdrawn, and I sincerely, along with Damai Hari Lubis (DHL), handed it over,” Sudjana told reporters at the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Damai Hari Lubis serves as the Secretary General of TPUA.
Sudjana further explained that Rizieq advised him to concentrate on publicly voicing the truth and to join the Islamic Defense Reporting Command (Korlabi). Rizieq also indicated he would not intervene in any legal proceedings undertaken by Sudjana and Lubis against Roy Suryo and Ahmad Khozinudin.
Rizieq reportedly expressed disagreement with claims labeling Sudjana and Lubis as traitors. “According to Habib Rizieq’s statement, this is a personal matter between me and DHL. It has nothing to do with Habib Rizieq. And Habib Rizieq doesn’t seek to interfere in this matter, because it is a legal matter between me and Ahmad Khozinudin and Roy Suryo,” Sudjana stated.
Previously, Eggi Sudjana and Damai Hari Lubis filed reports against Roy Suryo and his attorney, Ahmad Khozinudin, with the Metro Jaya Police, alleging slander and defamation. The reports were submitted on January 25, 2026, in two separate police reports (LP). Sudjana reported both Roy Suryo and Khozinudin, while Lubis’s report specifically targeted Roy Suryo. Authorities confirmed that the reporters believe their reputations have been damaged by statements made in the media. (Strait Times)