Prosecution to Call Four Expert Witnesses in Monday's Session of Ahok Blasphemy Trial
Jakarta. The tenth session of the blasphemy trial against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama on Monday (13/02) will feature four expert witnesses for the prosecution – including an expert on religion from the Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI.
The trial is normally held on Tuesday every week but was rescheduled to Monday this week due to preparations for Wednesday's Jakarta gubernatorial election, which Ahok is still contesting.
Ahok's lawyer Humphrey Djemat said the four expert witnesses include Muhammad Amin Suma, an expert on Islam from the MUI, and Mahyuni, a linguistic expert and Ph.D. graduate from the University of Melbourne.
"There are also two experts on crime, Mudzakkir and Abdul Chair Ramadhan," Humprey said in Jakarta on Monday, as reported by state-run news agency Antara.
The trial will take place again at a converted auditorium in the Ministry of Agriculture headquarters in South Jakarta.
Ahok, who is a Christian of Chinese descent, was charged with blasphemy in November last year amid mounting pressure from Muslim hardliners, who staged a wave of mass demonstrations against him.
He is accused of having insulting Islam and the ulemas in a speech he made on Pramuka Island in Jakarta's Thousand Islands district, by reportedly saying that nobody should quote from the Koran for personal political gain.
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