Jakarta (May 09, 2017): Governor of Indonesia capital Jakarta on Tue day was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of blasphemy and inciting to violence.
The governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, was the first ethnic Chinese Christian to run Indonesia’s capital.
He was accused of insulting Islam by referring to a verse in the Koran during a campaign speech. Purnama denied blasphemy and in court said he would file an appeal.
His remarks about Islam had sparked outrage among religious hardliners. They staged regular large rallies calling for him to face trial, with some extremists even calling for him to be executed.
Ahead of the verdict, protesters for and against Mr Purnama had gathered outside the Supreme Court in Jakarta demanding respectively his acquittal or a long prison sentence.
Mr Purnama became Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor for 50 years when he took over from Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who was elected president in 2014.
It was significant because as an ethnic Chinese Indonesian and a Christian he is a double minority in Muslim-majority Indonesia. His political success was also seen as a significant development given the violent anti-Chinese riots that occurred in the city in 1998.
Before the blasphemy allegations, he had been widely hailed as a straight-talking politician with a strong anti-corruption stance. But the controversy overshadowed scheduled elections last month.
Despite his enduring popularity with many in Jakarta for his efforts to improve living standards, he lost to conservative Muslim candidate Anies Rasyid Baswedan.
