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Rizieq ready to face legal procedures: Lawyer
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Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab speaks to reporters before facing police questioning at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Feb. 1. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
F
ollowing the Jakarta Police's threat to detain Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab as soon as he returns to Indonesia, Rizieq released a statement on Tuesday saying he would face legal procedures once police caught the perpetrator behind his alleged steamy WhatsApp chats with a woman.
Firebrand cleric Rizieq failed to show up for questioning by the Jakarta Police on April 25 and again on May 10. He was reportedly going on a minor haj with his family in Saudi Arabia. Afterward, he flew to Malaysia.
In the statement released by his lawyer Sugito Atmo Prawiro, Rizieq said that facing legal procedures was inevitable, even though he insisted that a pornography case allegedly involving him and a treason suspect, Firza Husein, was made up.
Screenshots of steamy WhatsApp chats allegedly involving Rizieq and Firza were uploaded to the now-blocked website baladacintarizieq.com.
"It is not true that Rizieq has been evading the police on purpose," said Sugito.
However, Rizieq would only fulfill his duty as law-abiding citizen once the police had caught the "perpetrator of mean slander via WhatsApp directed against him."
"As a citizen, Rizieq has the right of legal protection from the law enforcers against criminal acts threatening him and his family, since he led rallies to protest against the blasphemer," said Sugito, referring to the Nov. 4 and Dec. 2 rallies last year commanded by Rizieq to demand the incarceration of now non-active Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. (dea)
