Robert Besser
23 Sep 2023, 19:32 GMT+10
JAKARTA, Indonesia: An Indonesian court sentenced Lina Lutfiawati, also known as Lina Mukherjee, to two years in prison this week for violating the country's blasphemy law.
She was sentenced for posting a video in March on social media site TikTok where she recited the Muslim prayer before eating pork, which is considered 'haram,' or not permissible, under Islam.
Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world.
Court documents in the Indonesian city of Palembang, on Sumatra island, showed that Lina was sentenced this week as she deliberately "spread information that was intended to incite hate or individual/group enmity based on religion."
She was also ordered to pay a fine of US$16,249.59.
Indonesia's strict blasphemy laws have been used to erode a long-standing reputation for tolerance and diversity in the Southeast Asian country, critics stressed.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said the country's blasphemy law has been abused to target minority groups and dissenters.
"It contravenes Indonesia's international obligations in relation to respect and protection for freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression," he said.
Notably, the blasphemy law has been used against Jakarta's former Christian governor Basuki "Ahok" Purnama, sentenced to two years in prison in 2017 for blasphemy, on charges widely considered as politically motivated.
The court documents also showed that the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), a leading body of clerics, told the court that Lina's action was blasphemous against Islam.
Get a daily dose of Sports Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sports Sun.
More InformationThis campaign explores ice hockey players' influence and popularity beyond their National Hockey League (NHL) careers. The goal was to ...
Green Bay (Wisconsin) [US], December 4 (ANI): Pop star Taylor Swift attended Travis Kelce's Chiefs Game Against the Packers in ...
(Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports) With Major League Baseball's winter meetings underway in Nashville, the Mariners and Braves announced ...
(Photo credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports) Jordan Love completed 25 of 36 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and ...
(Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports) Brad Marchand scored a natural hat trick in the third period as the Boston ...
(Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports) Juuse Saros made 34 saves and the visiting Nashville Predators defeated the Buffalo ...
Green Bay (Wisconsin) [US], December 4 (ANI): Pop star Taylor Swift attended Travis Kelce's Chiefs Game Against the Packers in ...
(Photo credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports) Jordan Love completed 25 of 36 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and ...
(Photo credit: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK) Gardner Minshew hit Michael Pittman with a 4-yard touchdown ...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports) Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans went over 1,000 receiving yards for the ...
(Photo credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK) The College Football Playoff is about to expand to a 12-team ...
(Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports) Desmond Ridder completed 12 of 27 passes for 121 yards and the game's only ...