No, There Isn't An Interpol Red Notice For Habib Rizieq's Arrest

Where in the world is Habib Rizieq Shibab? The jet-setting firebrand preacher has been on a world tour of sorts in recent weeks, hopping from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia to Malaysia and then back to Saudi Arabia. Now his attorney says Rizieq won't return to Indonesia as long as Joko Widodo remains president.

"Habib [Rizieq] is considering not returning to Indonesia," his attorney Sugito Atmojo Pawiro told local media. "Habib might not come home until Jokowi is no longer president."

That's a long time overseas. The next presidential election is scheduled for September 2019. But his lawyers say Rizieq has good reason to stay abroad. Rizieq, the head of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), a Islamist organization that played a central role in the series of protests against Jakarta's now-jailed governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, is currently embroiled in several police investigations that his attorneys say are all part of an orchestrated plot to take the FPI down.

He's been named a suspect by the West Java Police for allegedly insulting the Pancasila and the memory of Indonesia's founding father Soekarno. He's been accused of illegally occupying state land in Bogor, West Java. And he's been summonsed for questioning as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow the government.

But a sex scandal is all anyone's talking about. A series of screenshots were posted online that appeared to show Rizieq in a steamy WhatsApp conversation with Firza Husein, a woman who was previously accused of plotting to overthrow the government herself. The conversation included several graphic images of a naked woman authorities believe is Firza.

This would be little more than a public relations nightmare if it wasn't for Indonesia's incredibly strict anti-porn laws. It's illegal to distribute sexual or nude images or videos in Indonesia under the country's controversial pornography law. Those convicted can face up to 15 years in prison.

Both parties have dismissed the whole affair, calling it a hoax and a plot to try to discredit the Islamist leader. "This case is fabricated and libelous," Azis Yanuar, Firza's lawyer, told local media.

But the police think otherwise. They ran the images through some facial recognition software and say they have a match. They've now asked immigration to issue a travel ban for Firza that would ban her from leaving the country for six months. She was named a suspect in the pornography case on Tuesday, but will be allowed to walk remain until her trial because of an unspecified health issue.

So Firza is stuck here. But where is Rizieq? Still in Saudi Arabia, according to his lawyers. But he plans to take a trip to the United Nation's office in Geneva to seek the help of the UN's Human Rights Council at the OHCHR. It might be an awkward meeting, he once referred to the UN as a "Union of Bastards" in a speech.

He's already met with UN staff in Kuala Lumpur and filed a complaint with Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) claiming that he was being criminalized, terrorized and intimidated. He invited the commission to meet him somewhere abroad to discuss the case.

But a sudden trip to Saudi Arabia is out of the question, the commission's head told BBC Indonesia.

"It's Komnas HAM's obligation to respond to a case made by Habib Rizieq's lawyer, but it's wrong to assume we can be summoned like that," Imdadun Rahmat said. "It's our job to summon Rizieq for questioning."

They will instead wait for Rizieq to return to Indonesia, whenever that may be.

"We're not supposed to use state funds," he said. "From the perspective of the state budget it would be a waste of money. So let's just wait until Habib Rizieq returns to Indonesia. Then we can call him in to see Komnas HAM."

Indonesian police said they would bring Rizieq in for questioning the moment he returned. They've asked Interpol to issue a Blue Notice—meaning he is wanted for questioning as part of an active case—but they stopped short of asking for a Red Notice. That notice would brand Rizieq as an international fugitive.

Photoshopped images that appeared to show Rizieq's face on an Interpol Red Notice alert made the rounds on Indonesian social media and WhatsApp groups yesterday, but the police said it was just a hoax. No one has issued a Red Notice for Rizieq's arrest.

"It's a hoax," Commissioner Argo Yuwono, the head of the Jakarta Police public relations department, told local media. "A Red Notice is for a suspect. Rizieq is still just a witness."