Jakarta’s outgoing Christian governor could be spared jail after Indonesian prosecutors called for him to face two years’ probation for allegedly insulting Islam.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, faces charges under Indonesia’s blasphemy laws. But on Thursday, prosecutors held off from seeking a maximum five-year prison term, although he could be jailed for a year if he breaches probation terms.
His legal team is expected to present a defence next week, with the judges’ verdict to follow in May.
It comes after Ahok conceded defeat on Wednesday to the Muslim candidate Anies Baswedan in a runoff election for governor of Jakarta, after a divisive campaign that exposed ethnic and religious divisions.
His lawyer, I Wayan Sudirta, said: “If within the two years, Ahok doesn’t commit any new criminal act, like corruption, stealing … he will be free. If within that two years, he does commit a criminal act, he has to serve the one-year jail sentence.”
The Chinese Christian governor has faced a politically charged trial for allegedly insulting Islam after he cited a Qur’anic verse during a campaign event last September.
The prosecution’s sentencing demands, originally scheduled to be heard last week, were delayed until a day after the election.
Prosecutors told the court the governor’s significant contribution to the Indonesian capital had been a mitigating factor in their sentencing demand. They have also recommended that Ahok be convicted of a lesser blasphemy charge, which carries a maximum four-year sentence.
The election ended with a resounding victory for the former education minister and university rector Baswedan. During the protracted campaign, previously fringe hardliners vied for a more prominent role in Indonesian politics.
Islamists have gathered outside the blasphemy proceedings for months calling for Ahok to be jailed. Religious hardliners threw rocks at police lines on Thursday after the sentencing demands were announced.
Ahok will continue his duties as governor until his term finishes in October.
