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Prosecutors to appeal Ahok’s sentence
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Non-active Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama attends his final blasphemy hearing at the North Jakarta District Court on May 9. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
P
rosecutors are set to appeal the North Jakarta District Court’s sentence in non-active Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s blasphemy case. The court sentenced Ahok to two years in prison.
“We will file an appeal,” Attorney General HM Prasetyo said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Friday.
He said the prosecutors’ move to appeal the sentence was a normal thing. Ahok, as a defendant, has also appealed the judges' ruling.
The North Jakarta District Court’s panel of judges stated on Tuesday that based on the evidence and the testimonies heard throughout Ahok’s trial, all criminal elements of the governor’s blasphemy charges had been fulfilled.
Ahok was initially charged with committing blasphemy under Article 156a of the Criminal Code and with defaming Muslim leaders under Article 156.
On April 20, the prosecutors dropped the blasphemy charge in their sentence demand, saying there was no evidence that the governor had committed blasphemy. They instead charged Ahok with defaming Muslim leaders.
The prosecutors demanded that Ahok be sentenced to two years’ probation and one year in prison if he reoffended. The judges ignored the prosecutors' demand. (cal/ebf)
