08/16/2022 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) – On August 11, state prosecutors held a hearing in South Jakarta demanding a one-year extension of a jailed policeman’s sentence.
The policeman, Napoleon Bonaparte, was convicted of bribery in March last year. In August that year, the former Inspector General reportedly broke into a fellow inmate’s cell and spread feces all over his body and face.
The victim of this attack is Muhammed Kace. A Muslim-turned-Christian YouTuber was sentenced to 10 years on charges of blasphemy for his videos that offended Islam. He was detained in the same prison as Bonaparte, who was enraged by the content of his videos.
“Anyone can insult me, but not against my Allah, the Quran, the Prophet, and my Islamic faith,” Bonaparte said.
News of the policeman’s attack spread and upset Prosecutor Andi Jaya Aryandi, who stated that the violence committed in this attack must be punished. Similarly, Andreas Harsono, an Indonesian researcher at Human Rights Watch, said ‘hate crime’ deserves heavy punishment.
According to UCA News, it is common for those convicted of blasphemy to be tortured in prison. While it is not unusual for Christians to fall victim to Indonesia’s draconian blasphemy laws, the inconsistent standard embedded in Indonesia’s legal system is self-evident. Just last August, a Christian-turned-Muslim cleric was arrested for insulting Christianity and was sentenced to merely five months in prison – a fraction of Kace’s sentence.
Please pray for continued protection, safety, and justice for Kace.
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