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Ahok video uploader complains of threats
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Suspected -- Buni Yani (right, in batik t-shirt) listens to his pretrial motion read out by one of his lawyers during a hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. (JP/Safrin La Batu)
B
uni Yani, a suspect for allegedly spreading hate after he uploaded a video of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama on social media said Tuesday that his life and family’s life had been terrorized by unidentified people.
Buni, a lecturer at a private university, said threats came not just through social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram but also via phone calls and “strangers” physically watched him and his family.
“On Instagram, it was awful: [one threat says] ‘do not ever step foot in Surabaya’,” Buni told reporters prior to his pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court.
He refused to reveal the handle of the social media account that threatened him. “I am trying to hide [the identity of] the people who threatened me.”
(Read also: Buni Yani accuses investigators of not following proper legal procedures)
Buni said his neighbors often noticed cars and “strangers” stopping or passing by in front of his house. “Their bodies were firm and their haircuts were short,” he explained.
“I am not afraid at all. I will fight it,” he said, adding that he consulted the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) about the issue.
Buni became a suspect of inciting religious and ethnic hatred after he uploaded a truncated version of a video that showed Ahok mentioning a Quranic verse when speaking before a group of fishermen in Thousand Islands regency. Ahok’s remarks have triggered outrage among Muslim conservatives. Ahok is currently undergoing a blasphemy trial for the remarks. (jun)
