Yahoo – AFP,
May 9, 2017
Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (bottom L), is convicted of blasphemy and sentneced to two eyars in prison, May 9, 2017 (AFP Photo/ Bay ISMOYO) |
Jakarta
(AFP) - Jakarta's Christian governor was jailed for two years Tuesday after
being found guilty of committing blasphemy, capping a saga seen as a test of
religious tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Presiding
judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto told the Jakarta court that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
was "convincingly guilty of committing blasphemy and is sentenced to two
years in prison".
He ordered
Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, to be detained. Purnama said: "We
will file an appeal." Islamic hardliners outside the court cheered as news
of verdict emerged and shouted "God is greatest".
Purnama was
hauled into court last year to face trial for allegedly insulting Islam while
campaigning for re-election in a case critics said was politically motivated.
The trial
came after a series of major protests against the capital's leader that drew
hundreds of thousands onto the streets.
His once
unassailable opinion poll lead shrank amid the controversy and he lost the race
to lead Jakarta last month to a Muslim challenger, a result that fuelled fears
of Indonesia's moderate brand of Islam coming under threat from increasingly
influential radicals.
AFP graphic profile of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Jakarta's Christian governor jailed for two years for blasphemy pic.twitter.com/wOsRDJ9Edv— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 9, 2017
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