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Indonesia woman irked by mosque noise convicted of blasphemy

Ethnic Chinese woman Meiliana reacts during her sentencing hearing at a district court in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018.

Ethnic Chinese woman Meiliana reacts during her sentencing hearing at a district court in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018.   | Photo Credit: AP

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The ethnic Chinese woman’s complaint was followed by attack on Buddhist shrines in Sumatra

An Indonesian court has sentenced a woman who complained about a noisy mosque to 18 months in prison for blasphemy.

The ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, burst into tears as a judge announced the sentence Tuesday. She was taken from the court in handcuffs.

Prosecutors said the 44-year-old defendant violated Indonesia’s criminal code by committing blasphemy against Islam, the dominant faith in Indonesia.

Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples throughout Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016 riot following reports of Meiliana’s complaint about a mosque’s noisy loudspeakers.

The woman’s lawyer said the sentence would be appealed.