Barring any remission or presidential pardon, former Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is set to carry out his two-year prison sentence for blasphemy after the case prosecutors officially withdrew their sentence appeal.
Ahok’s sentence has been widely criticized as unjust, especially since the prosecution only demanded that the former governor be given a two-year probation sentence due to there not being sufficient proof that he committed blasphemy against Islam. Despite that, judges presiding over Ahok’s case still found him guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison.
In an unprecedented legal twist, both Ahok’s lawyers AND the prosecution filed appeals against the harsh decision to the Jakarta High Court. However, Ahok and his lawyers soon withdrew their appeal with Ahok believing it to be the best decision to stop brewing tensions and avoid other potential legal problems.
Today, the North Jakarta District Court, where Ahok was tried, announced that the prosecutors have also withdrawn their appeal from the Jakarta High Court on Tuesday, though their reasons for doing so weren’t revealed.
The appeal will be officially withdrawn pending an approval from the Jakarta High Court.
“We’ll see. If it’s withdrawn, we’ll see how the High Court reacts,” said North Jakarta District Court spokesman Hasoloan Sianturi, as quoted by Kompas today.
On the face of it, the withdrawal of the appeals may disappoint Ahok’s supporters, who would obviously like to see him freed immediately. However, legal analysts believe that Ahok could have faced a very real risk of having his punishment increased upon appeal, extending his jail term or having his right to run for public office revoked in the future.
