Jakarta Governor found guilty of blasphemy, sent to 2 years' jail

An Indonesian court on Tuesday found Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, commonly known as Ahok, guilty of blasphemy in a landmark trial seen as a test of the country's religious tolerance and sentenced him to two years in prison.

The judge at the North Jakarta District Court, while sentencing, noted that Ahok, a Chinese-ethnic Christian, did not show any remorse and said he was able to break the unity of Indonesia before his arrest was ordered, Efe news reported.

The punishment meted out to him is harsher than what the prosecution proposed, but is less than the maximum punishment of up to five years in prison as stipulated in the country's legislation.

Ahok was charged in November for a speech where he quoted a verse from the Quran to prove to his supporters that there were no restrictions on Muslims voting for a non-Muslim politician.

He was put to trial in December.

However, Ahok has denied the allegation claiming the video of his speech was doctored, and said he will appeal the sentence.

Nearly 13,000 policemen were deployed in the Indonesian capital to prevent clashes between supporters and opponents of Ahok, who lost the Governor's re-election on April 19.

The ruling comes a day after the government dissolved the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) on grounds that it contradicts the principles of national unity and diversity.

The trial against Ahok was encouraged by Islamist radicals, led by the Islamic Defenders Front organisation, who were against a non-Muslim being in charge of Jakarta, and which organised mass protests against him in October and November.

The HTI, which aims at the restoration of an Islamic caliphate and implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) throughout Indonesia, also participated in the protests.

The Islamist opposition to Ahok started in 2014 when he became the Governor of Jakarta, but intensified with the blasphemy case and subsequent protests.

The protests also assumed central focus during the Governor's re-election on April 19, in which Ahok conceded victory to Muslim candidate and former Education Minister Anies Baswedan.

Indonesia is home to the largest Islamic population globally, with 88 per cent of its 250 million people being Muslims, mostly moderates.

--IANS

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