© AP Photo/Bagus Indahono
The call for action was advertised in two UK newspapers today.
22 Mei 2017 14:52
Jakarta non-active governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnamas detention has grabbed the attention of both national and international media for last few weeks.
Ahok was sentenced to two years in prison after proven guilty of blasphemy against Islam.
Despite calls for acceptance of the imprisonment, the supports and movements demanding Ahok's release are still going on, and it might just get bigger.
Today, a photo of an advertisement by Amnesty International published in UK-based newspaper The Guardian, calling Ahok conviction for blasphemy is an injustice went viral. The organization demands Indonesia's blasphemy law to be repealed immediately.
Photo: Twitter/Robertus Rubianto
A similar ad was also found in London Metro newspaper.
Photo: Facebook/Citta Widagdo
"Despite protests of his innocence and evidence that his words were manipulated for political purposes, he has been sentenced to two years in jail. The verdict will tarnish Indonesia's reputation as a tolerant nation," said Champa Patel, Amnesty International's Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Amnesty International urged the Indonesian authorities to repeal blasphemy laws, including Articles 156 and 156(a) of the Criminal Code. The organization considered the law hampers people's the freedom of thought and speech, which are supported under international human rights law.
The ad invites people to join the Amnesty International's urgent petition to overturn the situation and to push for Ahok's release.
Amnesty International itself is an international non-governmental organization with the aim of promoting all human rights written in Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International Indonesia Director, Usman Hamid, said to Kumparan the ad might be fake despite a similar call was also posted in the organizations UK chapters website. Nonetheless, Usman confirmed the Amnesty International's support that demands the release of for releasing Ahok.
"The Amnesty International indeed demands Ahok's release, aligned with the EU, UN and others," said Usman.
There has been no further explanation from Indonesia's chapter of the organization.
