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Persecuted teenager, family moved to safe house
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Rizieq Shihab (in white robe) leads a rally in Jakarta on Feb. 21. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he Jakarta Police have transferred to a safe house a 15-year-old boy who was intimidated and harassed by people claiming to be members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) for insulting their fugitive leader in a video that has gone viral.
Sr. Comr. Hearianto Adi Nugroho, general crimes director at the Jakarta Police, said Friday that police would make sure the 15-year-old boy and his family remained safe.
“They will be in a safe house until this case is over and there will be no more threats,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
(Read also: Police get tougher, arrest 2 in persecution of 15-year-old boy in E. Jakarta)
A video went viral on Thursday showing the boy, who is of Chinese descent, being intimidated and harassed for allegedly insulting firebrand cleric Rizieq Shihab.
In the video, the men can be seen coercing the boy to sign a statement of apology for slandering Rizieq, who was recently named a suspect in a pornography case. A man is seen slapping the boy's mouth two times.
Following public uproar, three men have been taken into custody by the Jakarta Police in connection to the incident. (idb)
