Ahok's sentence much harsher than prosecutors sought

JAKARTA: Jakarta's Christian governor was sentenced to two years in jail for blasphemy against Islam on Tuesday, a harsher-than-expected ruling in a trial that was seen as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

The guilty verdict comes amid concern about the growing influence of Islamist groups, who organised mass demonstrations during a tumultuous election campaign that ended with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama losing his bid for another term as governor.