TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sugito Atmo Pawiro, lawyer of Islamic Defender Front leader Rizieq Shihab, said that his client will turn himself to the Jakarta Police provided that there will be no pick up by force.
“If there’s no pick up by force, Habib [Rizieq] will turn himself to the Jakarta Police. However, if he was to be picked up by force and his followers could not accept that, they will oppose the arrest by going to the airport to welcome him,” Sugito told Tempo via text message on Thursday, June 1, 2017.
In response to a question whether Rizieq will return to Indonesia this week, Sugito said that he could not confirm it.
Rizieq has been named as a suspect in a case surrounding smartphone chats containing pornographic materials that allegedly occurred between him and Firza Husein. Police changes Rizieq with Articles 4, 6 and 8 of Law No. 44/2008 on Pornography.
According to Sugito, Rizieq left Indonesia on April 26, 2017, to perform umrah (minor haj pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia and complete his doctoral study in Malaysia. The Jakarta Police, Sugito revealed, issued a summons letter and an order to attend questionings as a witness in relation to the steamy chats case.
Police escalated Rizieq’s status to a suspect since he failed to attend questionings. According to Sugito, the Jakarta Police now has a formal reason to include Rizieq in a most-wanted list.
“Police clearly wants to criminalize Rizieq by releasing a most-wanted list,” Sugito claimed.
MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI