- Title: Jakarta governor arrives at police headquarters for questioning
- Date: 22nd November 2016
- Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (NOVEMBER 22, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF INDONESIA POLICE HEADQUARTERS JAKARTA GOVERNOR, BASUKI TJAHAJA PURNAMA'S CAR ARRIVING AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS PURNAMA WALKING OUT FROM CAR/PURNAMA SURROUNDED BY MEDIA MEDIA SURROUNDING PURNAMA PURNAMA ENTERING BUILDING MEDIA SURROUNDING INDONESIA POLICE SPOKESPERSON, RIKWANTO (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) INDONESIA POLICE SPOKESPERSON, RIKWANTO SAYING: "As the case has gone from the status of inquiry to investigation and Ahok has been named as a suspect, we have summoned him today to question him as a suspect." MEDIA WAITING OUTSIDE THE BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) BASUKI TJAHAJA PURNAMA'S LAWYER, SIRRA PRAYUNA SAYING: "When summoned by the police in relation to a case it is usually a psychological burden, it makes it difficult to handle to situation calmly and from what I can see Mr. Ahok is very calm and very clear when answering questions. MEDIA
- Embargoed: 7th December 2016 07:24
- Keywords: Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama politics police investigation
- Location: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
- City: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00159IZNLX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama arrived for questioning over blasphemy allegations at police headquarters in the capital on Tuesday (November 22).
The complaint against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, nicknamed "Ahok" and the first ethnic Chinese and Christian governor of the sprawling Indonesian capital, comes as President Joko Widodo tries to keep a lid on security and simmering religious tensions in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation.
"As the case has gone from the status of inquiry to investigation and Ahok has been named as a suspect, we have summoned him today to question him as a suspect," said National Police Spokesperson, Rikwanto.
Outside the police headquarters Purnama's lawyer said his client was handling the interrogation calmly while answering question clearly.
Purnama, a Protestant, once hugely popular for his tough, reformist approach to running the city of 10 million, has seen his support plummet amid the controversy.
More than 100,000 Muslims marched against Purnama this month, urging voters not to re-elect him in February.
A decision to drop the case could have sparked mass protests led by hardline Muslims against not just Purnama but also Widodo, who is seen as a key backer of the governor.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday he was determined to "prevent the growth of radicalism," apparently responding to rumours that Islamist extremists were planning protests to destabilize his government.
National Police Chief Tito Karnavian warned on Monday (November 21) that certain groups may try to storm parliament during rallies that are expected this Friday (November 25) and on December 2. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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