Panji Gumilang Sued 1.5 Years In Prison For Blasphemy Case

The defendant in the Panji Gumilang blasphemy case (young blue clothes) entered the courtroom at the Indramayu District Court, West Java, Thursday (22/2/2024). (ANTARA/Fathnur Rohman)

INDRAMAYU - The Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the District Attorney (Kejari) Indramayu, West Java, demanded 1 year and 6 months in prison for the defendant Panji Gumilang who was caught in a criminal case of blasphemy.

The claim was read out by one of the Public Prosecutors of the Indramayu Prosecutor's Office, Rama Eka Darma, during a follow-up hearing at the Indramayu District Court, Thursday (22/2) morning, which was also attended by the attorney for the defendant Panji Gumilang.

"We demand that the defendant Panji Gumilang be sentenced to one year and six months in prison," Rama said in a trial reported by ANTARA, Thursday, February 22.

Rama explained that the Prosecutor's Office of Indramayu assessed that Panji Gumilang was legally and convincingly proven guilty, for committing an act that was basically hostility or blasphemy against a religion held in Indonesia.

According to him, with this description, the Public Prosecutor stated that Panji Gumilang was proven to have violated the provisions stipulated in Article 156 a letter a of the Criminal Code with a threat of 1 year and 6 months in prison.

Furthermore, he said, the Public Prosecutor asked the Indramayu District Court Judges to sentence the defendant in accordance with the demands that had been submitted.

"(The sentence) is reduced as long as the defendant (Panji Gumilang) is in custody with an order that the defendant remains detained," he said.

Meanwhile, Dodi Rusmana, lawyer for Panji Gumilang, said that his party was preparing a defense or pledoi for the follow-up trial at the Indramayu District Court next week.

"It was clear. Later we will give a response which will be explained in the pledoi in the next week," he said.

Meanwhile, apart, Indramayu District Court Spokesperson Yanto Arianto ensured that the trial this time went smoothly and did not experience any obstacles, so that the Public Prosecutor could convey the charges against Panji Gumilang who was a defendant in the blasphemy case.

Yanto explained that the follow-up trial will be held in the near future, with the defense agenda of the defendant's legal advisory team.

"The upcoming trial is in defense of the defendant's legal counsel," he said.

Previously, Panji Gumilang had been named a suspect in the case of blasphemy in October 2023 by the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Police.

The legal process for this case has been transferred to the complete Indramayu Kejari along with a number of evidences. The inaugural trial of the case that ensnared Panji Gumilang began on November 8, 2023 at the Indramayu District Court.