Yahya Waloni Allegedly Received Pressure To Withdraw Pretrial, Team Of Lawyers Revealed A Number Of Irregularities

Lawyer Team Coordinator Abdullah Al Katiri (right) shows the power of attorney given by Yahya Waloni (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Coordinator of the Lawyers Team, Abdullah Al Katiri, said that his party was worried that Ustaz Yahya Waloni would receive pressure from certain parties to withdraw the pretrial by letter at the South Jakarta District Court.

Abdullah along with dozens of lawyers from the Indonesian Muslim Advocates Association explained that Yahya suddenly revoked the power of assistance and revoked the pretrial without any explanation.

"Since we became lawyers (lawyer, ed.), our friends to the Criminal Investigation Unit to meet the person concerned (Yahya Waloni) were not facilitated. We reported to Propam what was wrong at that time?" Abdullah said. "Suddenly a letter came to our office, there was a revocation of power on September 6. The letter is a photocopy," Abdullah added as quoted by Antara, Monday, September 20.

In the letter, Yahya revoked the power of attorney to Abdullah on September 6, 2021, which was then continued with the revocation of power to the Lawyers Team from the Indonesian Muslim Advocates Association.

Yahya Waloni was detained by the police last August and stayed at the Prodeo Hotel Bareskrim Polri, Jakarta. He was suspected of committing blasphemy and spreading hate speech in May. The report against him was received by the police in April 2021.

A few days after being detained by the police, Yahya authorized Abdullah and the team of lawyers from the Indonesian Muslim Advocates Association. Since the appointment of Abdullah and dozens of other lawyers as attorneys for Yahya, the Lawyers Team has not been given access to meet Yahya.

"On the 8th, the 10th (September), our team went to the Criminal Investigation Unit, could not (see Yahya Waloni)," Abdullah said.

In fact, according to another member of the Lawyers Team, Dedi Iskandar, Yahya expressed his desire to file a pretrial with a legal counsel.

However, at the first pretrial hearing, Monday, Sole Judge Anry Widyo Laksono read out the pretrial revocation letter signed by Yahya Waloni on September 13, 2021.

Related to that, Abdullah explained to the judge that Yahya Waloni revoked the power of attorney for assistance, not the pretrial power of attorney. However, the team of lawyers and judges could not receive a direct explanation from Yahya regarding the revocation of the pretrial.

Therefore, the judge officially summoned Yahya to the trial on Monday, September 27 to clarify his pretrial revocation letter.