Yep, fugitive Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) founder is still in Saudi Arabia, still hiding from Indonesian justice after the Jakarta Metro Police officially named him a suspect in a high-profile (and highly ironic) pornography case. Many have questioned how Rizieq managed to enter the Middle Eastern country twice in less than a month and supposedly extend his visa, all things that would be virtually impossible for a regular Indonesian wishing to go to Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Rizieq’s lawyers had claimed that Saudi Arabia had recognized the FPI leader as a political fugitive that was being unjustly persecuted and that he had been granted an ‘unlimited stay visa’ that allowed him to enter and exit the country at will (which Indonesian Immigration says isn’t actually a thing). Yesterday, one of his lawyers, Kapitra Ampera, went so far as to say that Rizieq had received support from the Saudi royal family as well as other Islamic countries, especially Turkey.
“The amount of support is a lot because there is a very strong sense of brotherhood,” Kapitra told Tempo in Jakarta yesterday,
However, Kapitra refused to give any details about what that support actually entailed and whether it included money or his supposed visa extension in Saudi Arabia.
The lawyer also said that Rizieq has been paying for all of his own living expenses in the country. (Tirto did an investigation showing it was likely Rizieq had stayed at several pricey luxury hotels based on photographic evidence).
So how likely is it that Rizieq is actually getting support from the Saudi royal family and others? It’s hard to say because so much of what his lawyers have said turned out to be misinformation (for example Kapitra said yesterday that Rizieq would return to Indonesia after Lebaran, “God willing if he is in a good condition”, whereas previously he had said that Rizieq would stay in Saudi Arabia another year or when President Joko Widodo was no longer in office).
Additionally, the idea that the Saudi royal family would potentially get into a diplomatic row with Indonesia over Rizieq seems unlikely, especially considering how many other dire issues their country is facing at the moment such as the situation with Qatar.
On the other hand, it seems unlikely that Rizieq could manage to extend his stay in Saudi Arabia without some sort of help from officials, given how draconian the country’s visa regulations are.
If the Saudi royals were defending the FPI founder, do you think the Indonesian government would stand up to them and demand Rizieq’s repatriation? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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