A Christian pastor has been sentenced to prison for two years for violating Indonesia’s law against blasphemy and hate speech in a case that has drawn scrutiny over the speed of his arrest and trial.
A panel of judges at Banda Aceh Court on July 10 handed down the sentence to Dedi Saputra, 31, a former Muslim from Aceh Province who was serving as a pastor in West Kalimantan Province. The court ruled that Saputra had “legally and convincingly” committed a criminal offense under laws against blasphemy and hate speech.
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The two-year sentence includes time spent in detention; he has been detained since his arrest in February. Prosecutors had demanded four years of prison, leaving them undecided on whether to accept the ruling or pursue further legal action.
TikTok video
The case began when Mohd Rendi Febriansyah, chair of the Aceh regional board of the Indonesian Islamic Student (PII), filed a police report on Nov. 5 in coordination with several government agencies and Islamic organizations in Aceh, aceh.tribunnews.com. reported.
In a now deleted TikTok video posted by Pastor Saputra’s account, @tersadarkan5758, in the course of responding to a question about his conversion he stated, “Muhammad, before becoming a prophet, had only one wife, but when he became a prophet, he had dozens of wives.”
The clip was later edited and re-uploaded by Kenzie De Jann Weringkukly. Weringkukly bolstered Pastor Saputra’s statement by displaying an article from Suara Muhammadiyah magazine, which stated, “Before his prophethood (between ages 25 and 40), Prophet Muhammad SAW had only one wife, Siti Khadijah binti Khuwaylid. During this period, he never practiced polygamy, and Khadijah was his only wife until her death. Several years after his prophethood, he had 11 to 13 wives, known as the Ummahatul Mukminin (Mothers of the Believers). Most of these marriages took place in Medina for social and humanitarian reasons, and to strengthen inter-tribal ties, while Khadijah (his first wife) was his only wife in Mecca. At the time of his death, he left behind nine wives.”
Pastor Saputra, who was ministering to a small Christian congregation in Suka Maju village, Sungai Betung District, Bengkayang Regency, was arrested on Feb. 18 as he returned home with his wife after purchasing personal items and supplies for his church.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
