Rizieq Shihab Complains: I Was Treated Like A Terrorist

Rizieq Shihab/Antara

JAKARTA - Former Grand Imam of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Rizieq Shihab revealed that he was treated like a terrorist while serving time in prison. In fact, the case that ensnared him was just a violation of health protocols.

This complaint was conveyed when Rizieq recounted when he visited the Police Department of Metro Jaya to undergo an examination of the case of the crowd in Petamburan.

"On Saturday, December 12, 2020, I accompanied by lawyers to the Police Department of Metro Jaya voluntarily to carry out the examination, but I was immediately arrested and detained until now," Rizieq said reading a memorandum of defense at the East Jakarta District Court, Thursday, May 20.

After his arrest, Rizieq, who has been designated as a suspect since December 9, 2020, was immediately detained at rutan Polda Metro Jaya.

At that time, Rizieq felt that during his detention and security against him was excessive. Because, for the first month, he had to be in total isolation.

At that time, no one should enter it. Including the family and the personal team of doctors from Team Mer-C.

In fact, the officer was also prohibited from greeting himself. Except during Friday prayers, Rizieq was allowed out of the cell and escorted to pray with other prisoners.

"My case is only about Prokes violations but being treated like a terrorist prisoner," he said.

With the treatment he received, Rizieq believes that the case he faced is not just a violation of the prokes. Rather, there is a motive for revenge.

"So clearly, the barrage of terror and intimidation and character assassination against me and my friends, which came continuously without stopping, from since the Bela Islam Action 411 and 212 in 2016, then the Jakarta Regional Election in 2017," he said.

"That the three cases of prokes violations that I faced were part of a large-scale intelligence operation funded by oligarchs, so that these three legal cases were merely a means of justification by riding the police and prosecutors in the framework of political revenge," Rizieq continued.

Previously, Rizieq Shihab was sentenced to 10 months in prison for alleged crowding and violations of health protocols (prokes) in Megamendung. Rizeq was also fined Rp50 million subsider 3 months in prison.

Rizieq is considered to have violated Article 93 of Law Number 6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine or Article 14 paragraph (1) of Law Number 4 of 1984 concerning Infectious Disease Outbreaks or Article 216 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.