Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Governor of Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has been was declared suspect in a religious blasphemy case.
After a month of investigation and screening session, head of the National Crime Police Ari Dono Sukmanto said Purnama is guilty and the case should be settled in an open trial. He is also banned to leave the country while the investigation is underway.
The blasphemy allegations centre on a speech Purnama made in September in which he said his opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Koran that could be interpreted as prohibiting Muslims from accepting non-Muslims as leaders.
Purnama has apologised for the comment but hard-line Muslim groups have demanded that he resign, claiming that he insulted the Koran.
The comment sparked massive demonstrations against Purnama, staged by hundreds of thousands of Muslim hardliners in the capital city that ended up with violence and vandalism. President Joko Widodo later was forced to cancel his visit to Australia slated for this weekend.
Purnama is the first ethnic Chinese and Christian governor of the Indonesian capital city where a majority of Muslims are living.-VNA
