FORMER Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, will withdraw an appeal against his two-year jail sentence for blasphemy.

Ahok was found guilty on May 9 and jailed the same day for “convincingly guilty of committing blasphemy”.

His wife, Veronica Tan, today read out a letter in which Ahok thanked supporters and those who were praying for him, or sending flowers, letters and books, Reuters reports.

“I know this is not easy for you to accept this reality, let alone me, but I have learned to forgive and accept all this,” the former governor said in the letter.

“It is not right to protest against each other in the process I am going through now,” he said, adding that he was concerned that his supporters could be involved in clashes with parties opposing him. – May 23, 2017.