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Police pledge transparency in blasphemy probe
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Under pressure: City Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi gives a statement at the National Police's headquarters on Monday after accompanying Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to answer a police summons for interrogation on his role in an alleged blasphemy case. (JP/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya )
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fter kicking off an investigation into an alleged blasphemy case involving gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, the National Police reiterated on Monday that they would carry out the process in a fair and transparent manner.
National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Monday his institution was happy to invite the press and related parties to observe and broadcast the case exposé—a procedure during which police investigators sit together to decide whether to continue a criminal investigation after scrutinizing preliminary evidence, witnesses’ testimonies and available legal bases.
"Until now, police have been accused of being not independent, prone to intervention and not transparent. So, in accordance with the police chief's pledge and instruction, the case exposé [on Ahok] will be opened [to the public],” Agus said, adding that the police expected to carry out the process in the next two weeks.
Existing regulations stipulate that case exposé must be held behind closed-doors, but President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has used his executive discretion to make an exception in the Ahok case.
(Read also: Ahok answers police summons in blasphemy probe)
Earlier Monday, Ahok answered a police summons to be interrogated on his role in the alleged blasphemy case, three days after a mass demonstration pressured police to prosecute him.
Ahok, a Christian and Indonesian of Chinese descent in a Muslim-majority country, has sparked uproar among Islamic groups after he made a comment about a Quranic verse during his visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. The police has received dozens of reports regarding the case. (hwa)
