Serious Three peaceful Indon judges promoted for getting Ahok's sentence enhanced

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three of the five judges, who recently delivered a two-year prison sentence to Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) for committing blasphemy against Islam, have received promotion and post transfers.
The Supreme Court confirmed here on Saturday that stringent selection was carried out in the past three months before the decision to promote them was taken.
"We did not find any violation by the three judges," Ridwan Mansyur, Supreme Courts head of law affairs and public relations, noted.
Mansyur said the people or the Judicial Commission are free to report to the Supreme Court any violations or flaws in connection with their transfers and promotion on May 10 or a day after they gave a verdict on Ahok.
Chief Judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto and jury members Abdul Rosyad and Jupriyadi received the promotion.
"The Supreme Court has been selective and transparent in conducting the selection for the promotion," Ridwan remarked.
He said the selection process took three to four months, and so, it was a mere coincidence that its decision was announced just a day after the verdict on Ahok was given.
"Several aspects were taken into account, including ranks and work experience as well as their track records," he noted.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced the promotion and post transfers for 388 judges, three of which were those who handled the blasphemy case involving Jakartas Christian governor.
Following the courts decision, Ahok has been placed in detention while his position as Jakarta governor has been revoked by the Ministry of Home Affairs and taken over by his deputy Djarot Syaiful Hidayat.
Ahoks supporters across the country have held candle light vigils in the past few days in response to the courts verdict they believed was unjust.
Ahok, who lost the recent election, some believed partly due to his blasphemous statement that had triggered wide-scale demonstrations by Muslims in the city, has appealed against the verdict.

Ahok has given up appealing of blasphemy sentence... ALAHU AKBAR!



























JAKARTA, May 23 — Jakarta’s former governor, a Christian, will withdraw an appeal against his controversial jailing for insulting Islam in Muslim-majority Indonesia, to allow prosecutors to appeal the sentence and calm protests, his family and lawyers said today.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese popularly known as “Ahok”, was jailed on May 9 for a longer-than-expected term in a ruling that critics fear will embolden hardline Islamist forces to challenge secularism in Indonesia.
At a news conference, his tearful wife, Veronica Tan, read out a letter in which Purnama thanked supporters and those who were praying for him, or sending flowers, letters and books.
“I know this is not easy for you to accept this reality, let alone me, but I have learned to forgive and accept all this,” the former governor said in the letter.
“It is not right to protest against each other in the process I am going through now,” he added, saying he was concerned that his supporters could be involved in clashes with parties opposing him.
There have been frequent protests by supporters of the former governor in cities across the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and by Indonesian students and workers abroad, following the verdict.
The fortunes of the once hugely popular Purnama turned last September, when he was seeking re-election. He said his political rivals were deceiving people by using a verse from the Quran to say Muslims should not be led by a non-Muslim.
Purnama denied the blasphemy allegation but apologized for the comments. Hardline groups drew hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets of Jakarta, however, demanding he be sacked and jailed for insulting Islam’s holy book.
His support suffered following those demonstrations and he lost his re-election bid. His trial, which began late last year, drove religious tension in Indonesia to its highest in years.
Purnama’s two-year term was harsher than the suspended sentence the prosecution sought, prompting warnings that Islam is creeping into the politics and judiciary of the secular nation.
Purnama’s lawyers said withdrawing his appeal could give prosecutors space to appeal.
“We don’t want to intervene with the prosecution. They can go ahead,” said one of the lawyers, I Wayan Sudirta, adding that Purnama’s legal team had requested he be moved from prison to city or house confinement.
It would not be the first time prosecutors had appealed against a tougher sentence than sought in the indictment, said another of his lawyers, Teguh Samudera.
Head prosecutor Ali Mukartono could not immediately be reached for comment. — Reuters

Heehee... Great news for Singapore!