The Jakarta Metro Police have identified two more suspects from last week’s viral video depicting the persecution of a 15-year-old boy who was physically and mentally abused by members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) after posting humorous memes about their leader, Rizieq Shihab.
“From the results of the investigation, two more have been named suspects. We can’t yet reveal their identities,” said Hendy F Kurniawan, head of the Jakarta Metro Police’s Violent Crimes Unit, as quoted by Viva today.
However, the two suspects, who are residents of Cipinang, East Jakarta, have not yet been caught.
“Until now, we are having difficulty finding them, be it in their homes or other locations,” Hendy added.
Previously, police arrested two suspects, AM (22) and MAT (57), who were believed to have taken part in abusing the teen.
The abuse came to light when a video circulated online that depicted a 15-year-old Jakartan of Chinese descent being physically harassed and threatened by people claiming to be members of the FPI.
In the video, a group of men are seen coercing the teen – who has his mother sitting right behind him – into apologizing for posting memes about Rizieq that they said were insulting to Muslims. The men surrounded the teen, mocking, laughing and occasionally slapping and punching him, knocking the glasses off of his face at one point.
One man, who appeared to be the leader of the group, told the boy that he had insulted the Muslim community as Rizieq is not just the leader of the FPI, but a grand Imam for “millions of Muslims”. He warned the boy to tell his friends of the same ethnicity not to make fun of Rizieq and other Islamic scholars or they may face the same consequences.
The teen appeared shaken but stayed calm while enduring the mental and physical abuse from the group.
Human rights watchdog Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) noted an increase of Indonesian social media users being persecuted by hardline groups for allegedly insulting ulemas (Muslim clerics) online ever since Rizieq was named a suspect in a high-profile pornography case.
