Indonesian police charge priest with public order offenses
Father Heri Sitohango faces up to seven years in jail for allegedly inciting protests against a palm oil company
Police in Kutai Timur district, East Kalimantan, arrest three men from the Dayak community in Long Bentuq following a protest against a palm oil company in the village. (Photo supplied)
Police in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province have charged a Catholic priest with a public order offense in what he says is a move to silence him.
Divine Word Father Heri Sitohango of St. Paul Parish in Long Bentuq in Samarinda Archdiocese was questioned by Kutai Timur district police for 10 hours on March 1 before being charged for his alleged involvement in a protest by an indigenous group against a palm oil company. He was later released on bail.