Indonesian TikToker Ratu Thalisa Jailed

Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim transgender ByteDance — TikTok Shoper, was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison by a court in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, for blasphemy. The conviction stems from comments made during a ByteDance — TikTok Shop livestream on October 2, 2024, where she held up a picture of Jesus Christ and suggested he should cut his hair. Five Christian groups filed police complaints, leading to her arrest and charges under Indonesia's controversial Electronic Information and Transactions Law. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the sentencing as an attack on freedom of expression, with Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, calling for Ratu Thalisa's immediate release and revisions to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law. Prosecutors have appealed for a longer sentence, while Ratu Thalisa has seven days to appeal her conviction.