An Indonesian court sentenced a comedian to seven months in prison for a joke he made in regards to the name “Muhammad,” court documents show, increasing concerns about blasphemy laws in one in all the world’s most populous Muslim countries.
Aulia Rakhman was found guilty of violating blasphemy laws after joking in regards to the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during a performance within the Sumatran city of Lampung in December.
In a video of his appearance, widely shared on social media, he might be seen joking that the sanctity of the name is not any longer vital, provided that so many individuals in prison have been named Muhammad.
Many Indonesians are named Muhammad, after the prophet.
Advocates of human rights and freedom of speech expressed concern in regards to the interpretation of the blasphemy law, which was mainly applied to people considered offensive to Islam.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International in Indonesia, said the blasphemy article resulted within the imprisonment of many “innocent people”.
“We call for the removal of this article,” he said.
Andreas Harsono, an Indonesian researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the case showed “once more the toxic nature of blasphemy laws in Indonesia.”
The stand-up comedy was a part of a campaign for Indonesian presidential candidate Aniesa Baswedan, who lost the election in February this 12 months. Baswedan was not present on the performance.
The law prohibits anyone from making statements that contradict one in all Indonesia’s six official religions or from trying to forestall someone from practicing one in all those religions.
Aulia was found guilty last week, but the decision didn’t take effect until Tuesday.
“The defendant admitted and regretted his actions, was polite at trial, and was never convicted,” Ricky said.
“The aggravating factor was that the defendant’s actions caused public concern.”
The comedian’s imprisonment is the newest in a series of blasphemy cases within the country.
In the past, the law ensnared former popular Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who was sentenced to 2 years in prison for blasphemy in 2017.
Last September, an Indonesian court also sentenced a girl to 2 years in prison after she posted a video on TikTok during which she recited a Muslim prayer before eating pork.
