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Prosecutors file appeal against Ahok’s blasphemy sentence

JAKARTA — Prosecutors proceeded yesterday with their appeal against Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s blasphemy sentence, submitting documents to the Jakarta High Court, a court spokesman said.

JAKARTA — Prosecutors proceeded yesterday with their appeal against Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s blasphemy sentence, submitting documents to the Jakarta High Court, a court spokesman said.

Earlier this week, Purnama said he would withdraw his appeal against his jailing for insulting Islam in Muslim-majority Indonesia so as to pave the way for prosecutors to appeal the sentence and calm protests.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday they would soon review their appeal against the blasphemy sentence, in which the outgoing Jakarta governor was sentenced to two years in prison.

They recommended last month that Purnama be charged under Article 156 instead of Article 156a for blasphemy. The prosecution also recommended that if he were to be convicted, a probation term of two years with a possible one-year prison term would be appropriate.

The prosecutors can still withdraw the appeal until the Jakarta High Court makes a decision on whether or not to accept the submission. It also means the North Jakarta District Court’s guilty verdict on Purnama is not yet legally binding.

Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian popularly known as “Ahok”, was jailed on May 9 for two years.

It was harsher than the suspended sentence the prosecution sought, prompting warnings that Islam is creeping into the politics and judiciary of the secular nation.

It would not be the first time prosecutors had appealed against a tougher sentence than sought in the indictment, said another of his lawyers, Mr Teguh Samudera.

There have been frequent protests by supporters of the former governor in cities across the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and by Indonesian students and workers abroad, following the verdict.

The fortunes of the once hugely popular Purnama turned last September, when he was seeking re-election. He said his political rivals were deceiving people by using a verse from the Quran to say Muslims should not be led by a non-Muslim. Purnama denied the blasphemy allegation, but apologised for the comments. Hardline groups drew hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Jakarta, however, demanding his sacking and imprisonment for insulting Islam’s holy book.

His support suffered following those demonstrations, and he lost his re-election bid. On Tuesday, Purnama officially resigned from his Jakarta governor position.

Mr I Wayan Sudirta, Purnama’s lawyer, said a resignation letter has been sent to the Home Affairs Ministry and President Joko Widodo.

“First, he (Purnama) doesn’t want to be a burden for President Jokowi’s administration,” Mr Sudirta told Tempo. “He doesn’t want to be a governor anymore,” the lawyer said, adding that people who oppose him should not be concerned with his return to the City Hall. AGENCIES

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