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https://t.co/TGBwEwl5xC

— simonthong aka kitty poo (@KittyPo80176717) February 1, 2022

Jakarta’s former governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, best known as “Ahok”, has been released from prison after serving out his controversial two-year sentence for insulting Islam.

The Indonesian politician was controversially jailed in May 2017 after a court found him guilty of blasphemy for a comment he made while campaigning for re-election.

Last year a movie documenting his life, “A Man Called Ahok” was released in Indonesian cinemas, igniting rumours he plans to resume his political career upon his release.

He walked free from the high-security Mako Brimob detention facilityin Depok, West Java, early Thursday morning after receiving more than three months’ in remissions.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/ahok-jakartas-former-governor-released-after-jail-term-for-blasphemy

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https://t.co/jJ8ePnhlpg

— simonthong aka kitty poo (@KittyPo80176717) February 1, 2022

Jakarta’s Christian governor has been sentenced to two years in prison after a trial that was widely seen as a measure of religious pluralism in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, was “found to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy, and because of that we have imposed two years of imprisonment”, the head judge, Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, told the court.

“As part of a religious society, the defendant should be careful to not use words with negative connotations regarding the symbols of religions, including the religion of the defendant himself.”

Another judge, Abdul Rosyad, said reasons for the stiff sentence included that “the defendant did not feel guilt, the defendant’s act has caused anxiety and hurt Muslims”.

After the verdict was read out, Ahok was taken in an armoured police van to a prison in Cipinang, East Jakarta.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/09/jakarta-governor-ahok-found-guilty-of-blasphemy-jailed-for-two-years

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3 Jan 2016

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A five-judge panel ruled that journalists will not be allowed to cover witness testimony during the trial and that spectators can’t bring cellphones inside the courtroom. Testimony began shortly after the decision was announced Tuesday.

Presiding Judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto ordered journalists to leave the packed courtroom at the North Jakarta District Court shortly after he opened the hearing.

One of Ahok’s lawyers, Trimoelja Soerjadi, said the ruling was aimed at protecting the witnesses given the huge amount of attention the trial has received in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

He said that none of the four people who reported Ahok to police and testified Tuesday directly heard what Ahok said when he visited a fishing village in northern Jakarta.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/03/world/asia/ap-as-indonesia-blasphemy-trial.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

 

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13 Dec 2016

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The trial began on 13 December and will adjourn until December 20. If convicted he faces a maximum five-year jail sentence.

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25 Dec 2016

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The Ahok case is one of a series of incidents that have seen radicals challenge secular political and civil affairs. In August, a teenage man attacked a priest with an axe during a Mass in Medan, North Sumatra, and failed to detonate a bomb in his backpack. Earlier this month, a two-year-old child died and three other young children were injured when a man threw petrol bombs at a Protestant church in East Kalimantan Province. Some Indonesian Christians said they fear the attack was connected to Ahok’s case.

Two terrorism experts said last week that a five-year national de-radicalisation programme had not succeeded in reducing extremism. Analysts have been especially concerned by moderate Muslims’ hostility towards Ahok. Earlier this month, tens of thousands of moderate Muslims rallied alongside hardliners. The Muslim Times ran an opinion piece arguing that Ahok losing his blasphemy case could be the tipping point for a republic once upheld as a model of pluralism and stable democracy in a shift towards a more conservative form of Islam.

From 2004 to 2014, blasphemy cases in Indonesia had a 100 per cent conviction rate. Human rights campaigner Andreas Harsono voiced concerns that the accusation may be being used as a “political tool” to derail Ahok’s re-election campaign.

For Christians, much hangs in the balance. Some see their on-going security and freedom tied to the fate of the accused governor of Jakarta. With a lengthy legal process ahead for Ahok, the coming months could hold much uncertainty for them as well.

https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2016/11/4749532/

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Harry Farley Journalist 13 December 2016

Weeping in court is not the ideal pre-election build up for a politician seeking re-election.

But through a determined campaign assisted by crude blasphemy laws, that is where Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the governor of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, found himself on Tuesday.

Known as Ahok, the popular leader is both Chinese and Christian, making him an unusual fit to be a politician in the world’s most populous Muslim country that is in the midst of brokering a tense stand off in the South China Sea.

He is the first Christian governor of Jakarta in nearly 50 years and was a strong favourite to win the upcoming election in February.

But conservative Islamic groups have seized on comments he made in a campaign speech in September where he referenced a Qur’anic verse that some see as prohibiting Muslims from living under non-Muslim rule.
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The majority of Indonesia’s 203 million Muslims, which make up 87 per cent of the population, come from the relatively tolerant Nusantara brand of Islam. But an increasingly vocal minority of hardline conservatives are threatening a peaceful consensus.

Open Doors, the Christian persecution charity, notes that despite the religious freedom guarantee in the constitution, “a plethora of by-laws and rules in various provinces can override this”.

Aceh, a province north of Jakarta, is ruled under strict Sharia law and 8,000 Christians have been forced to flee their homes. Some cite Purnama’s case as a sign that the previously tolerant Muslim nation is becoming radicalised.

The trial began on Tuesday and will adjourn until December 20. If convicted he faces a maximum five-year jail sentence.

Outside the court hundreds of demonstrators chanted: “Jail Governor Ahok now.” They punched their fists in the air and shouted: “We must defend Islam from those who insult the holy book,” according to the BBC’s Rebecca Henschke.

But he is not yet barred from standing in next year’s election, where despite the trial, he remains a strong contender.

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12 Dec 2016

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JAKARTA: Jakarta’s Christian governor will stand trial Tuesday accused of blasphemy in a high-profile case that has emboldened hardline groups and stoked fears of growing intolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – the first Christian to govern Jakarta in more than 50 years – will defend allegations that he insulted the Koran and fight calls for his imprisonment under Indonesia’s tough blasphemy laws.

Purnama, known for his outspoken style, outraged Muslims when he controversially quoted a passage from the Islamic holy text while campaigning in elections for the Jakarta governorship.

His remarks ignited a protest movement by hardliners, who have long railed against a non-Muslim in city hall but failed to dent the governor’s popularity.

But their rallying cry to defend Islam and punish “the blasphemer” attracted unprecedented support from Muslims both moderate and conservative, who marched against the governor in numbers not seen in many years.

The case is being viewed in part as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, where a spike in attacks on minorities has eroded a reputation for diversity and inclusiveness.

“If he’s found guilty, this could be the biggest setback for pluralism in Indonesia’s history,” said Tobias Basuki from the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Purnama fell foul of Indonesia’s archaic blasphemy laws when he insinuated that his opponents had used a Koranic verse to trick people into voting against him.

An edited version of his speech went viral online, sparking outrage far beyond Jakarta, where Purnama has ruled since his predecessor Joko Widodo became president in late 2014.

The governor apologised but Indonesia’s highest clerical body, and a slew of radical groups, declared the remarks blasphemous and urged authorities to bring charges.

Critics want the country’s blasphemy laws overhauled. The legislation was rarely used during the 32-year rule of strongman Suharto, but in recent years it has been exploited to persecute minorities, rights groups say.

Purnama is not only Christian but ethnic Chinese, a community long mistrusted in Indonesia, and his race made pinning him for blasphemy easier, political expert Syamsudin Haris told AFP.

“Ahok’s ‘Chinese-ness’ is a factor,” he added, using the governor’s popular nickname.

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15 Nov 2016

• Public Opinion liked this

  cina™ ‏@YouTiup Nov 13

  Man admits his lie about Jakarta’s Christian leader led to blasphemy protest.

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5 Nov 2016

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FN. ‏@nyotista 3h3 hours ago

abis demo teriak “bunuh cina”, pulang naik bus tj-nya ahok. abis demo bakar mobil, yg bersihin pasukan oranye nya ahok. NAH LHO. #jakarta

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Patrick Woudstra ‏@PatrickWoudstra 36m36 minutes ago

Één dode en twaalf gewonden bij massaal protest tegen gouverneur van Jakarta. Reden: hij is een christen.

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detikcom Verified account ‏@detikcom 10h10 hours ago
Pakai Helm, Kapolda Metro Jaya Datangi Lokasi Kericuhan Demo #JakartakuDamai http://detik.id/VDe86i

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An anti-Chinese, anti-Christian Rally?

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Mr Basuki, who prefers to be called Ahok, has also been the target of assassination attempts by militants at home and purportedly those fighting in the Middle East with ISIS.
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While the protest was sparked by allegations of blasphemy against the governor, political observers such as Dr Leo Suryadinata note that Mr Basuki is a close ally of Mr Joko and their political opponents are using race and religion issues as a pretext to disrupt the government.

“Nevertheless, I would also argue that the anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia has not gone away. It is deeply rooted,” he said.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/jakarta-on-edge-as-mass-protest-looms

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4 Nov 2016

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TV footage showed large fires burning as vehicles were set on fire and the police fired water cannons to try to control the massive crowd.

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Alamy News ‏@AlamyNews 23m23 minutes ago

Indonesian muslims protest Jakarta governors #Koran comments © Zulkarnain/Xinhua/Alamy http://bit.ly/2ev0mxi

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Willem Rutten ‏@RuttenWillem 21m21 minutes ago

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• ST Foreign Desk ‏@STForeignDesk 19m19 minutes ago

  Tight security in Jakarta on Friday ahead of mass anti-governor protest, more than 20,000 police & soldiers deployed http://bit.ly/2fJmEwL

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Radio Dakta ‏@RadioDakta 1m1 minute ago Bekasi Timur, Indonesia

Kabag Ops Polres Metro Bekasi Kota Kompol Aslan Sulastomo mencatat ada 8 lokasi pengamanan pemberangkatan massa #AksiBelaIslam ke Jakarta.

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Some fear rally against governor may lead to outbreak of violence

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(((רזיאל))) ‏@benavu54 6m6 minutes ago

Jakarta prepares for hardline protest

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