Key points: Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, aka Ahok, is accused of insulting the Koran

His lawyers' failed argument was the last chance to stop the trial

Christian groups label Ahok's chief attacker blasphemous

Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, is accused of insulting the Koran, a case seen as a test of religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. A panel of judges rejected a petition by the legal defense team of governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his nickname “Ahok,” to throw out the case because it had violated the politician’s human rights and disregarded procedural protocol. "The exception by the defendant will be considered and decided by the court after examination of all evidence. The defendant's exception is not accepted," said Judge Abdul Rosyad. A tearful Ahok denied at his first hearing on December 13 that he had intended to insult the Koran while he was campaigning ahead of elections in February for the governorship of Jakarta, capital of the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. Blasphemy convictions in Indonesia can carry a jail term of up to five years and such charges nearly always result in conviction.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Christian Governor of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, will face prosecution for blasphemy.