Jakarta Governor given 2-year prison sentence for blasphemy

May 09, 2017 10:13 am | Updated 10:42 am IST - JAKARTA, Indonesia

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, centre, enters the court room as he attends his sentencing hearing in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 9, 2017.

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, centre, enters the court room as he attends his sentencing hearing in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 9, 2017.

An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced the minority Christian Governor of Jakarta to two years in prison for blaspheming the Quran at a trial that undermined the country’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

The five-judge panel said Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest. However, Ahok immediately announced he would appeal the guilty verdict and sentence.

The lead judge said the trial was a purely criminal one and the court disagreed that there were political aspects to the case.

The blasphemy accusation against Ahok was a decisive factor in his defeat in last month’s election for Jakarta Governor. Hard-line Islamic groups said it would be a sin for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim.

The two year prison sentence was a surprise outcome. Prosecutors had recommended a two-year suspended prison sentence.

The maximum sentence for blasphemy in Muslim-majority Indonesia is five years in prison.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.