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Lawyer questions court decision to reject Ahok's case review request
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Josefina Agatha Syukur (left) and Fify Lety Indra (second left), lawyers representing Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, review legal documents presented by Ahok for his case review at the North Jakarta District Court on Feb. 26. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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lawyer for former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has questioned the Supreme Court’s decision to reject his case review petition.
Fifi Lety Indra said all considerations to file the petition had been stated in the petition, including those related to a man named Buni Yani, who was found guilty of tampering with a video that was used to support a blasphemy case against Ahok.
Ahok was charged with blasphemy for allegedly insulting a Quranic verse on May 9, 2017.
The Bandung District Court in West Jakarta sentenced Buni to 18 months in prison on Nov. 14, last year.
“We have included the [Buni Yani] case in the petition but why was it not considered? [Ahok had] no intention or desire to insult [Islam],” Fifi said Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
On account of the rejection, Fifi plans to discuss the verdict, the document of which has yet to be received by Ahok, at the Amnesty International Forum on Thursday.
Fifi added that Ahok had responded to the case review rejection by saying “praise the Lord”.
A panel of judges lead by Justice Artidjo Alkostar rejected the case review request on March 26. Following the court decision, reports emerged that Artidjo was a member of an Islam Defenders Front (FPI) committee, however, the claims were refuted by both Artidjo and Jakarta FPI secretary-general Novel Bamukmin.
The FPI was behind a series of rallies in which participants demanded the arrest and conviction of Ahok for statements made in a speech. (wnd)
