An Indonesian teacher found guilty of raping 13 students at an Islamic boarding school and impregnating eight of the victims, has been sentenced to death.

Herry Wirawan, 36, had been sentenced to life in prison in February, in a case that drew national attention to sexual abuse in the country’s religious schools.

But prosecutors, who had requested the death penalty and chemical castration, filed an appeal.

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Wirawan’s pattern of abuse at the school, came to light when the family of a female student reported him to police for raping and impregnating their teenage daughter last year.

During his previous trial, it was revealed Wirawan had raped the 13 students, many from poor families and attending the school on scholarships, over a period of five years. He also impregnated at least eight of them.

Before the lower court, the defendant asked the judge for leniency, saying he wanted to be around to raise his children.

The case drew national outrage and increased pressure on parliament to approve a long-delayed bill on the “elimination of sexual violence”, that seeks to combat sex crimes and provide justice to victims, including in cases of marital rape.

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