TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Police yet to name Rizieq suspect in pornography case
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Rizieq Shihab (in white robe) leads a rally in Jakarta on Feb. 21. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he Jakarta Police have yet to name Islam Defenders Front (FPI) founder Rizieq Shihab a suspect in a pornography case, despite naming Firza Husein a suspect for purportedly sharing pornographic material in WhatsApp chats between her and Rizieq.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said they still needed to obtain more evidence that showed Rizieq’s involvement in the case.
“We’re still waiting for the police’s investigation,” Argo said at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Wednesday.
Rizieq ignored two police summons on April 25 and May 10.
He was reported to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and now in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Argo said the police might request Interpol to issue a blue notice to discover Rizieq’s whereabouts.
Previously, the police confirmed that the pictures of a naked woman who appeared in the chats were of Firza.
Police have also questioned experts including criminal law expert from Trisakti University, Effendy Saragih, who said the alleged conversation between Firza and Rizieq fulfilled the pornography elements as stipulated in the 2008 Pornography Law.
“According to the chat, he [Rizieq] asked for the [nude] photos,” Effendy said.
Effendy said he assumed that the motive in the case was simply personal pleasure.
Firza's lawyer Azis Yanuar said his client, who denied the authenticity of the chat and photos, would file a pre-trial challenge to her being named a pornography suspect.
