JAKARTA -- Firebrand Indonesian cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, better known as Habib Rizieq, was sentenced to eight months in prison on Thursday for violating COVID-19 health protocols for his crowded sermons following his return from Saudi Arabia.
Judges at the East Jakarta District Court also ordered Shihab to pay 20 million rupiah ($1.400) in fines, or spend an extra five months behind bars. The ruling is lighter than two years and 10 months in prison sought by prosecutors for multiple charges related to protocol violations, as they blamed him for contributing to spikes in Jakarta's coronavirus cases in December.
