Ahok tight-lipped after eight hours of questioning

JAKARTA. Incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama was tight-lipped after being questioned for almost eight hours as a suspect of a blasphemy case at the National Police headquarters on Tuesday.

Ahok's lawyer Sirra Prayuna said that his client answered 27 questions during the questioning.

"This questioning is repetitive of the previous interrogation. Police added the crucial information [needed] to round out this case," Sirra said.

He added that the team provided seven defense witnesses and 14 experts to testify for Ahok.

Sirra said the witnesses, including the residents of Thousand Islands who witnessed firsthand Ahok's allegedly defamatory speech in late September, would be further questioned.

The experts were comprised of religious, language and criminal law experts, he added.

Police named Ahok a suspect on Wednesday after conducting a case screening the previous day.

Ahok’s speech triggered an outcry among Muslim conservatives. Hundreds of thousands of people, led by conservative Islamic groups, staged a rally in front of the Presidential Palace on Nov. 4 demanding that the government investigate Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, for his alleged blasphemy.

The rally ended in violence when two police cars were set on fire and several people, both police officers and protesters, suffered severe injuries.

Ahok has repeatedly asked for forgiveness for his statement, saying he never intended to insult Islam or the Quran. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)