Indonesian Tanjung Balai District Court convicted the defendant of an alleged blasphemy case, Meiliana, and sentenced her to 18 months in prison. The Chinese woman was found to have proven insulting to Islam after complaining about the volume of the call to prayer that was too loud.
Meiliana reportedly cried when the judge Wahyu Prasetyo Wibowo read out the verdict on Tuesday (8/21). The period of imprisonment imposed by the judge is in accordance with what the Public Prosecutor requested.
The prosecutor previously accused the defendant of guilty of insulting Islam when making a complaint. "One, stated that Defendant Meliana was proven legally and convincingly guilty in public in issuing feelings or committing acts that were essentially hostile, misuse or desecration of a religion that was followed in Indonesia," said Prosecutor Anggia Y Kesuma in a hearing reading the demands of two last week.
The case began with Meiliana's complaint against the volume of the mosque loudspeakers which she considered too loud, the defendant told the neighbors as read in the prosecutor's claim. After that the mosque management had visited Meiliana's house.
But unexpectedly the meeting actually made things even more out of control. The complaints of the defendants were responded to by the Tanjung Balai Muslim community by burning 14 Buddhist monasteries. The family had apologized. But the reconciliation effort was unrequited.
Since the beginning of the trial process has been under pressure from hardliners. Last week the Alliance of Islamic Civil Society Organizations Concerned with Cases of Blasphemy visited the Head of the Medan District Court, Marsudin Nainggolan to urge the guilty verdict of the defendant.
Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) North Sumatra earlier had already issued a fatwa blasphemy to Meiliana. "Athan is part of Islamic religious laws. Speech delivered Meliana is included humiliation and desecration of Islamic law, said Deputy Secretary of North Sumatra MUI Fatwa Commission, Irwansyah to the media in January 2017.
The verdict against Meiliana completes the list of victims of blasphemy articles which have imprisoned 147 people since they were first put into effect in 2004. Criminal cases because blasphemy has increased rapidly in the era of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration. At least 106 people were jailed because they were deemed to have desecrated religion between 2004 and 2014.
Some were jailed for whistling while praying, while others were convicted for expressing their opinions on Facebook.
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