Indonesian Christian governor freed

Indonesian authorities on Thursday released a former governor who had nearly completed his two-year prison sentence on charges of blasphemy against Islam. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, the first Christian leader of the capital district of Jakarta, left a paramilitary prison in the city, spokesman Sakti Budiono confirmed.

Ahok enjoyed popular approval in Jakarta until hard-line Muslims accused him of blasphemy during a 2016 political debate. He said voters should not be deceived by claims the Quran forbids them from voting for a non-Muslim. The comment brought hundreds of thousands of Muslim demonstrators to the streets. In May 2017, he received a two-year sentence for blaspheming the Quran.

Ahok’s son, Nicholas Sean, celebrated his father’s release with a photo of the two of them on Instagram, writing, “Thank you everyone for the support.”