Indonesian prosecutors have demanded an 18-month prison term for a woman who was charged with blasphemy after she complained about the volume of a mosque’s loudspeakers. Meiliana an ethnic Chinese woman burst into tears as a judge announced the sentence Tuesday. She was taken from the court in handcuffs. A conservative group, Islamic Community Forum, felt that Meilana’s sentence was too light.
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Prosecutors said the 44-year-old defendant violated Indonesia’s criminal code by committing blasphemy against Islam, the dominant faith in Indonesia. Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples throughout Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016 riot following reports of Meiliana’s complaint about a mosque’s noisy loudspeakers.
The woman’s lawyer said the sentence would be appealed. The woman’s lawyer, Ranto Sibarani, said the sentence would be appealed. Indonesia’s Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and religion but in recent years blasphemy cases have been filed against those perceived as offending Islam.
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