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<p>We raise these issues regularly and appropriately with the Indonesian government.
We supported the EU statement, issued following the conviction of the former governor
of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as 'Ahok') on blasphemy charges. This called
on the Indonesian government, its institutions and its people to continue the long
standing tradition of tolerance and pluralism in Indonesia and stated that laws criminalising
blasphemy when applied in a discriminatory manner can have a serious inhibiting effect
on freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Our Ambassador to Indonesia also
publicly expressed concern about the blasphemy verdict against 'Ahok' on social media.
More generally, and in meetings with political and religious leaders, the Ambassador
and Embassy officials have actively cautioned against mixing issues of race, ethnicity
and religion with politics.</p><p>In addition, we are also supporting the Indonesian
parliament in their ongoing revision of the Indonesian Penal Code to encourage respect
for human rights, including freedom of religion.</p>
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