Indonesia: Jakarta governor given two year-prison sentence May 9 /update 1

Event

A five-judge panel sentenced Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to two years in prison for blasphemy on Tuesday, May 9. Ahok was transferred to the Chipinang prison in East Jakarta following the verdict. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called for the public to respect the court’s ruling and said that Ahok is expected to appeal the decision. Thousands of Ahok’s supporters gathered outside of the prison in solidarity after he arrived at the facility. Additional protests may occur in the coming days, particularly outside the Chipinang prison.

Context

Prosecutors initially asked the court to reduce the charges to insulting language with a sentence of two years of probation and a one-year prison sentence if Ahok reoffended. However, the judges decided to find him guilty of blasphemy.

On April 20, Purnama conceded defeat in the second round of Jakarta's gubernatorial elections held on April 19. His Muslim opponent, Anies Baswedan, led the race with 58 percent of the vote versus Purnama's 42 percent according to preliminary results. Official results will not be announced until later in May. Jakarta's gubernatorial race is widely seen as a proxy for the presidential elections scheduled for 2019. Becoming governor of Jakarta is often seen as a first step toward winning the presidency. Purnama, a Christian member of the country's ethnic Chinese Indonesian minority and the first ethnically Chinese governor, was initially charged with blasphemy after misquoting a verse from the Quran. The controversy sparked a number of large protests in recent months.

Advice

Individuals present in Jakarta are advised to avoid demonstrations and public gatherings, to anticipate a significant security presence and transportation disruptions in the vicinity of all rallies, and to follow any instructions issued by local authorities.