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Two named suspects for 'religious blasphemy'
The Jakarta Police has named cult leader Lia Eden and her colleague Wahyu Anindito suspects for alleged blasphemy, a senior officer announced Tuesday
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The Jakarta Police has named cult leader Lia Eden and her colleague Wahyu Anindito suspects for alleged blasphemy, a senior officer announced Tuesday.
The city police's crime division director, Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iriawan, said naming the two people suspects was also to protect them from possible reprisals from hard-line religious groups.
"We must react quickly to maintain public order because what Lia has been done -- distributing pamphlets calling on the government to wipe out all religions -- may spark something we don't really want here," Iriawan said.
Lia and Wahyu were arrested Monday morning after sending the pamphlets to government offices last week. In the pamphlets, Lia instructed the government to wipe out all established religions, which she said were heavily polluted and should be replaced with her religious teachings only.
The pair are accused of violating the Criminal Code's Articles 156 and 156(a) on blasphemy, punishable by up to five years in prison.
In 2006, Lia was jailed for two years after being convicted of distributing brochures, books and VCDs about her teachings that were considered in breach of established religions. She claimed, for instance, to be "the Holy Spirit that manifests itself in the form of God's messenger Gabriel".
Lia has also on several occasions proclaimed herself the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and her child the reincarnation of Jesus. She heads a controversial cult called the Kingdom of Eden and claims to have thousands of followers.
Commenting on the case, Uli Sihombing, executive director of the Indonesian Legal Resources Center (ILRC), said Lia and Wahyu's arrests violated a 2005 law on the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
"Article 18 of the law clearly states the freedom to practice a religion may only cease if it violates the law and or disrupts other people's basic rights," he told The Jakarta Post.
"And as far as I recall, no one has been intimidated, let alone being physically hurt, by what Lia has been doing for years. So why put her in jail?"
He said the police were likely not familiar with the new law, thus explaining why they reverted to the Criminal Code to jail people over such a case.
