Indonesia woman irked by mosque noise convicted of blasphemy

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.