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Prosecutors demand year and four months prison for police officer accused of ripping Qurans
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An officer with the Medan Police's medical and health division in North Sumatra faces a possible one year and four months in prison after he was charged with blasphemy for ripping up the Islamic holy book the Quran. (Shutterstock/-)
A
n officer with the Medan Police's medical and health division in North Sumatra faces a possible one year and four months in prison after he was charged with blasphemy for ripping up the Islamic holy book the Quran.
Prosecutors in Medan District Court demanded the panel of judges find the defendant, Brig. Tommy Daniel, guilty of damaging the Quran and throwing the holy book into a ditch near Nurul Iman Mosque in the complex of Adam Malik Hospital in Medan.
"The defendant is guilty of violating Article 156a," prosecutor Mathias told the court on Tuesday referring to the blasphemy article in the Criminal Code.
Tommy will read out his defense plea in the next hearing scheduled for next week.
The blasphemy case involving the officer began when the defendant and his mother took Tommy's wife who was about to give birth to Adam Malik Hospital on May 10.
While waiting for his wife to give birth, the defendant reportedly went downstairs to take a bag from his car, but instead of going to the carpark, he took a detour to Nurul Iman Masjid within the hospital complex. He went through the mosque's terrace to the toilet.
Afterward, the defendant went inside the mosque and took four Qurans from inside a cupboard. He is reported to have brought the holy books to the toilet and allegedly ripped up two Qurans before throwing them into the ditch. He left the two other Qurans near the toilet wall before walking to his car and taking his bag inside the hospital.
Several witnesses reportedly saw the ripped Qurans. Through the CCTV records in the mosque, the witnesses identified Tommy as the man who damaged the holy books. (fra/rin)
