The outgoing governor of Jakarta has been sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy and inciting violence.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, is an ethnic Chinese and Christian. The case was seen as a test of Indonesia’s religious tolerance. He was accused of insulting Islam by referring to a verse in the Koran during a campaign speech.
Purnama has denied blasphemy and plans to appeal. He was taken into custody after the verdict was read out.
His deputy Djarot Saiful Hidayat will take over his duties until his term ends in October.
Some protesters were angry at the sentence and felt it was too lenient
The sentence is harsher than most observers had expected – prosecutors had called for a suspended one-year sentence.
The governor was “found to have legitimately and convincingly conducted a criminal act of blasphemy, and because of that we have imposed two years of imprisonment,” the judge told the court.
Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, was accused of blasphemy for comments he made during a pre-election speech last September.
He implied that Islamic leaders were trying to trick voters by using a verse in the Koran to argue that Muslims should not vote for a non-Muslim leader.
His remarks, which were widely shared in an edited video, sparked outrage among religious hardliners.
Security was tight as protesters and supporters gathered at the court in Jakarta
They staged regular large rallies calling for him to face trial.
Throughout the trial, Mr Purnama denied wrongdoing, but did apologise for his comments nonetheless.
Ahead of the verdict, protesters for and against Mr Purnama had gathered outside the court demanding respectively his acquittal or a long prison sentence.
Disappointed with the eventual verdict, some protesters demanded the outgoing governor to be hanged.
Around 15,000 security personnel from the police and military are providing security at the scene, with riot police and armoured vehicles separating the rival groups.
