Jakarta’s ex-governor released from jail

Jakarta’s former governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, best known as “Ahok”, has been released from prison after serving out his controversial two-year sentence for insulting Islam.

Ahok is a Christian and was Jakarta's first non-Muslim governor in 50 years.

But he was convicted of blasphemy in 2017 in a case seen as a test of religious tolerance in the Muslim-majority country.

His case sparked protests in support and condemnation of a politician once tipped for the presidency.

Purnama was released early - for good behaviour - on Thursday morning after serving 20 months of a two-year sentence.

He was greeted by supporters who had gathered outside the detention centre in the hope of meeting him.

The politician's eldest son posted a photo of himself with his father on Instagram with the message: "He is back! My dad is free! Thanks, everyone for the support."

Ahok was accused of blasphemy over comments he made during a pre-election campaign in September 2016.

In a speech, he implied that Islamic leaders were trying to trick voters by using a verse in the Koran to argue that Muslims should not vote for a non-Muslim leader.

Doctored footage of Ahok’s comments – which made it appear he had directly insulted the Qur’an rather than the conservative Islamic clerics citing it – spread quickly in 2017, sparking huge Islamist-inspired political protests that have had a lasting impact on the politics of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.