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International rights groups express concerns following Ahok verdict
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Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama waves upon arriving at the Cipinang detention center in East Jakarta on Tuesday. (Antara/Ubaidillah)
A
number of international organizations have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Indonesia following the guilty verdict and two-year jail term handed down to Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy on Tuesday.
The European Union Delegation to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, for instance, has issued a statement calling on the Indonesian government and people to continue their country's long-standing tradition of tolerance and pluralism.
“Indonesia and the EU have agreed to promote and protect the rights […] such as the freedom of thought, conscience and religion and freedom of expression,” it stated.
“The EU has consistently stated that laws that criminalize blasphemy when applied in a discriminatory manner can have a serious inhibiting effect on freedom of expression and on freedom of religion or belief.”
(Read also: Support grows as '#Ahok' grabs worldwide attention)
Similarly, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) also expressed concern, stating that the verdict could put Indonesia’s position as a regional leader “in jeopardy and raises concerns about Indonesia’s future as an open, tolerant, diverse society,” said Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian parliament and APHR chair.
The APHR said the ruling could embolden religious hard-liners and called into further question Indonesia’s harsh blasphemy law.
We are concerned by jail sentence for #Jakarta governor for alleged blasphemy against #Islam. We call on #Indonesia to review blasphemy law
— UN Human Rights Asia (@OHCHRAsia) May 9, 2017
Amnesty International has also said the verdict could tarnish Indonesia’s reputation as a tolerant nation.
"The conviction of Jakarta Governor #Ahok demonstrates inherent injustices of Indonesia's blasphemy law ..." pic.twitter.com/e0GWOLl2LH
— Amnesty Indonesia (@amnestyindo) May 9, 2017
