Jailed Jakarta governor Ahok drops appeal against blasphemy conviction

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, was jailed for two years earlier this month for insulting the Quran.PHOTO: AFP.

JAKARTA: Jakarta's jailed Christian governor on Monday made the surprise decision to drop an appeal against his conviction for blaspheming Islam, his family said, as the United Nations stepped up pressure on Indonesia to overturn the controversial sentence.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, was jailed for two years earlier this month for insulting the Quran, a shock decision that has undermined a reputation for religious tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.