Ahok to Give First Testimony in His Blasphemy Trial

Jakarta. Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama will testify for the first time in his blasphemy trial on Tuesday (04/04).
The panel of judges will question him during the 17th session of the trail, which was set to commence at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ragunan, South Jakarta.
"I only read the police investigation report; I am reviewing it. We'll see what prosecutors would ask," Ahok told reporters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday when asked about his preparations.
"I had some discussions [with my lawyers] and refreshed my memory," he added.
Ahok's lawyers previously called several witnesses to testify in his defense. This includes Ahmad Ishomuddin, a renowned cleric from the Nadhlatul Ulama (NU); Djisman Samosir, a lecturer at Parahyangan University's law faculty; and Rahayu Surtiati, a linguistics professor at the University of Indonesia.
Ahok also presented his childhood friend Fajrun, who spoke about the governor's past and who testified that he had no intention to insult the Koran, or the religious beliefs of anyone.
Ahok, who is running for re-election in the second round of this month's gubernatorial election, has repeatedly denied the blasphemy accusations against him after a heavily edited video of a speech in which he objected to the use of a Koranic verse for political gain, went viral on social media last year.
The governor has been charged with blasphemy and cyber-harassment.
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