Purnama was handed the sentence after he was found guilty of blasphemy and inciting violence by the North Jakarta district court.
The governor had on September 27, 2016, allegedly said some Indonesian citizens would not vote him because they were being deceived using “Verse 51 of Al Maidah and variations of it” in the Quran.
He had earlier been reported by the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam) and a local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council, amongst others, to the police for violating Indonesia’s law on misuse of religion.
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In his comment on the matter, the chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), Charles Santiago, said: “Indonesia was thought to be a regional leader in terms of democracy and openness. This decision places that position in jeopardy and raises concerns about Indonesia’s future as an open, tolerant, diverse society.”
Whereas the United Nations in Bangkok said of Purnama’s sentence, “We are concerned by jail sentence for Jakarta governor for alleged blasphemy against Islam. We call on Indonesia to review blasphemy law.”