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Ahok detractors rejoice at guilty verdict
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Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama attends his blasphemy trial at the North Jakarta District Court on May 9. The judges declared Ahok guilty of committing blasphemy and sentenced him to two years in prison. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan/Pool)
T
he guilty verdict against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama resulted in more than 1,000 of his detractors celebrating his two-year prison sentence for blasphemy on Tuesday.
Using a megaphone, one protester praised God after the North Jakarta District Court announced the verdict. He said a close eye should be kept on the overall legal process to make sure that Ahok served his prison sentence.
"Allahu Akbar [God is great]. We should not be satisfied with this verdict but make sure that Ahok really serves his sentence," the man continued. Ahok detractors packed areas around the Agriculture Ministry on Jl. RM Harsono, Ragunan, South Jakarta, where the hearing took place starting from 9 a.m.
(Read also: Ahok supporters, detractors voice demands during rally)
After the hearing ended at 10:50 a.m., the situation in the area remained tense, with members of Islamic organizations checking the press cards of journalists covering the event.
In Tuesday’s hearing, the North Jakarta District Court declared Ahok guilty of blasphemy for suggesting that some people had abused a Quranic verse to block his re-election bid.
Dwiarso Budi Santiarso, the presiding judge in the case, declared, “The defendant Ir. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok is proven guilty of committing blasphemy."
The governor, whose term ends in October, said he would appeal the verdict. (ebf)
