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N. Jakarta district court chief to lead Ahok's blasphemy trial
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Legal pressure: Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama (right) looks tense as he leaves the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) after police submitted the dossier of his blasphemy case to prosecutors in Jakarta on Nov. 1. Ahok is being prosecuted for criticizing the way various people used a verse in the Quran that some scholars interpret as prohibiting Muslims from choosing non-Muslim leaders. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he North Jakarta District Court has revealed the panel of judges that will oversee Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's trial on blasphemy charges, which will start next week.
Court spokesman Hasoloan Sianturi on Monday told The Jakarta Post that Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, the court’s chief justice, would serve as the presiding judge in the high-profile trial. The other judges appointed are Jupriadi, Abdul Rosyad, Joseph V. Rahantoknam and I Wayan Wirjana.
Prior to his move to the North Jakarta District Court earlier this year, Dwiarso served as the chief of the Semarang District Court in Central Java.
(Read also: Conservative Muslims intensify pressure in Ahok's blasphemy case)
Hasoloan said the first hearing in the trial, scheduled for Dec. 13, will take place at the Central Jakarta District Court’s former building on Jl. Gajah Mada, Central Jakarta, as his office was currently under renovation.
Ahok, who is campaigning for next year’s gubernatorial election, was charged with violating articles 156 and 156a of the Criminal Code on blasphemy. He was named a suspect by the National Police on Nov. 16 after recordings of remarks he made during a visit to the Thousand Islands regency on Sept. 27 were editing before being posted online, allowing some to interpret the remarks as being blasphemous in nature.
The Attorney General’s Office submitted Ahok's case dossier, along with 51 pieces of evidence, to the North Jakarta District Court last Thursday. (hwa)
