| Home > South-East Asia >> Indonesia | |
Activists defend Ahok amid prolonged blasphemy case
Jakarta Post - December 11, 2016
Law professor and activist from the University of Indonesia, Sulistyowati Irianto, claimed on Saturday that certain parties had fabricated Ahok's case to affect the Jakarta governor's popularity and impact his chances of reelection.
"Politicians and the authorities can forge articles to rule the case in their favor. Therefore, we want the judges to maintain independence in the trial," Sulistyowati said. Ahok's trial is scheduled for Dec. 13, with the National Police looking for a safe venue for the proceedings.
Ahok, named a blasphemy suspect on Nov. 16 because of controversial remarks about a Quranic verse, allegedly violated articles 156 and 156a of the Criminal Code (KUHP).
The chairman of human rights watchdog the Setara Institute, Hendardi, said the Attorney General's Office (AGO) had bowed to public pressure as Ahok's dossier was hastily submitted to court in less than a week.
"The dossier consists of 826 pages; how can it be examined so fast? The AGO is like a postman that delivers a message from the police to the court," he said. (adt/evi)
See also:
 |