Woman irked by mosque noise on blasphemy trial in Jakarta

Indonesian prosecutors have demanded 18 months jail term for the woman. Representation Pic

Indonesian prosecutors have demanded an 18-month prison term for a woman who was charged with blasphemy after she complained about the volume of a mosque's loudspeakers.

The ethnic Chinese defendant, Meiliana, 44, was arrested on May 18, about two years after her case triggered a riot in Tanjung Balai, in Sumatra. A spokesman at the local prosecutor's office, Sumanggar Siagian, said today the sentencing demand for Meiliana was made at the District Court in Medan. Prosecutors said the defendant had violated Indonesia's criminal code by committing blasphemy against Islam, the dominant faith in Indonesia.

Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples throughout Tanjung Balai in a July 2016 riot after reports of Meiliana's complaint emerged.

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