he Jakarta Police’s Special Crimes Investigation Department (Reskrimsus) has questioned Buni Yani, the uploader of the video footage containing alleged blasphemous remarks made by Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, regarding his accusations of defamation against two supporters of the non-active governor, Guntur Romli and Muanas Alaidin.
“Buni has been questioned today as the person who reported Guntur and Muanas. I appreciate the police and their law enforcement efforts in this country,” Buni’s lawyer, Aldwin Rahadian, said at the police office on Friday. He said he believed the police would soon name Guntur and Muanas as suspects.
In his questioning, Aldwin said, Buni completed the police interrogation report and submitted several pieces of evidence of alleged defamation committed by Guntur and Muanas. They comprised screen shots of accusations written by Guntur and Muanas against his client on social media, he added.
“From now on, people shall be careful before they release information or accuse Buni of being a provocateur because such a thing has serious legal consequences,” Aldwin said.
Muanas, the leader of the Community of Young Advocates for Ahok-Djarot (Kotak Adja), reported Buni to the police for alleged provocation on Oct. 8, accusing him of editing the video footage of Ahok's speech, in which he cited a Quranic verse, before he uploaded it onto Facebook.
Guntur, another Ahok supporter, accused Buni of using ethnic, religious and racial sentiment (SARA) to attack Ahok.
Responding the accusations, Buni reported Guntur and Muanas for alleged defamation to the police on Oct.10. He claimed he did not edit Ahok’s footage but only wrote a caption and his personal opinion about the governor’s speech. (ebf)
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