An Indonesian appeals court on Monday sentenced a 36-year-old school principal to death for raping at least 13 schoolgirls.
The Supreme Court in the city of Bandung on the island of Java thus overturned a life sentence that a lower court had previously imposed on the head of an Islamic boarding school.
The public prosecutor's office had appealed – they wanted a harsher punishment for the man.
The court also ordered his assets confiscated and used to compensate his victims aged 14 to 20.
The man was arrested last May after allegations of rape at the boarding school became public.
During his first trial in January, he admitted his wrongdoing and apologized to his victims.
The case prompted calls for the predominantly Muslim country's government and parliament to speed up deliberations on a law to prevent sexual violence.
Some conservative Muslim groups oppose the bill, saying it encourages promiscuity by not criminalizing extramarital sex and same-sex relationships.
The case also highlights the conditions in Islamic boarding schools.
In Indonesia there are more than 25,000 Islamic boarding schools, the so-called pesantren, where almost five million students live and study.
After the regular classes, they often have religious instruction well into the evening.
Case causes a stir
The rapes had caused a stir across Indonesia.
Activists criticize that the girls and women affected are often blamed, even though they are the victims of sexual violence.
According to the Indonesian Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Child Protection, at least 8,800 cases of sexual violence were reported between January and November 2021 alone.
Last year, two teachers at a boarding school in South Sumatra were arrested for allegedly sexually abusing 26 male students.
In 2020, a teacher in East Java was sentenced to 15 years in prison for molesting 15 schoolgirls.