Indonesia court sentences firebrand cleric to 8 months' jail

An Indonesian court has sentenced a politically influential firebrand cleric to eight months in prison for violating health protocols by holding gatherings attended by thousands of supporters during the coronavirus outbreak

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An Indonesian court sentenced a politically influential firebrand cleric to eight months in prison on Thursday for violating health protocols by holding gatherings attended by thousands of supporters during the coronavirus outbreak. The panel of three judges at East Jakarta District Court, which was under heavy police and military guard, ruled that Rizieq Shihab had breached pandemic restrictions with events commemorating Prophet Muhammad’s birthday and the wedding of his daughter. He was also fined 20 million rupiah ($1,400) for a mass gathering in West Java. The gatherings took place less than a week after his arrival from a three-year exile in Saudi Arabia. Shihab has been detained since Dec. 13. The judges ordered the time he has already served to be deducted from his sentence, meaning he will be free in several months. Police detained dozens of Shihab’s supporters who tried to stage a rally in front of the court on Thursday to demand that he be released. More than 2,300 police and soldiers were deployed in and around the building, which was protected by razor wire and four water canons.