AGO Mulls Dropping Appeal against Ahok's Blasphemy Conviction  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said that he has consulted with the prosecuting team on whether to go ahead with or drop the appeal against the two-year jail sentence handed down to Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok.

“A review is needed on the relevance and urgency of the appeal [filed by prosecutors],” Prasetyo said yesterday.

He explained that the review will not only take into account its legal certainty and sense of justice but also the benefits and recent developments. “In this case, say that the prosecutors are convinced that [Ahok] is not guilty of blasphemy. We will review [our conviction].”

Pressed on Ahok’s decision to withdraw his appeal, Prasetyo said that it means the defendant has accepted the court’s decision and admitted wrongdoing.

The North Jakarta District Court found Ahok guilty of violating Article 156(a) of the Criminal Code on blasphemy. The judges considered that the defendant had made a reference to a Quranic in relation to Jakarta regional election sparking unrest and hurting Muslims in the process.

The public prosecutors earlier had charged Ahok under Article 156, seeking 1-year jail term and two-year probation period. According to the prosecutors, Ahok was not found guilty of blasphemy. Ahok and the prosecutors had filed an appeal against the conviction.

However, Ahok yesterday dropped the appeal. His wife Veronica Tan said that the decision was made for the good of all. “We don’t want to prolong the case,” she said.

ERWAN HERMAWAN | ANTARA