Prosecutors seek lighter sentence in blasphemy case of Christian governor of Jakarta
Indonesian prosecutors have reportedly dropped the blasphemy case against the Christian governor of Jakarta and are now calling on the court to sentence him to face two years' probation instead.
Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who recently lost the gubernatorial election to his Muslim rival Anies Baswedan, had been facing a politically charged trial for allegedly insulting Islam after he quoted a Quranic verse during a campaign rally in September.
During the hearing at the North Jakarta District Court on Thursday, the prosecutors decided to drop the blasphemy charges against him, but they recommended for Purnama to be sentenced to two years' probation if he is found guilty of Article 156 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on showing animosity toward others.
"We demand the judges rule two years' probation and one year of imprisonment if the probation is broken," said prosecutor Ali Mukar-tono, according to The Jakarta Post.
The prosecutors admitted on Thursday that they could not prove that Purnama had insulted Islam as a whole, but only individual Muslims.
They decided to drop the accusations that the Christian governor had violated Article 156a of the KUHP, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The prosecutors noted that Purnama had been cooperative during the legal process. They also cited the governor's contributions to developing Indonesia's capital as a mitigating factor in calling for a reduced sentence for him.
However, the prosecutors said that Purnama was guilty of showing animosity toward Muslims by quoting Surah Al Maidah 51, which was often used by Muslim political groups to tell Muslims not to vote for political candidates who adhere to other faiths.
They contended that the Christian governor insulted Muslims because he acted as if he had the correct understanding of the verse, which they said had various interpretations, even among Muslims.
"The defendant acted as if his interpretation is correct and said people who believe other interpretations were being tricked," said prosecutor Ardito Muwardi.
The prosecutors further noted that Purnama was not the only one to blame in the case. They also cited Buni Yani, who is suspected of uploading an edited video of Purnama's speech with a misleading transcription.
They said that the video led to the Purnama's blasphemy charges as well as the public uproar against the governor.
Religious hardliners had gathered outside the court for months, calling for the Christian governor to be jailed. The protesters threw rocks at the police line on Thursday after the announcement of the prosecutor's sentencing demands.