9/12/2024 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) — Christian apologist Gratia Pello is out on parole after nearly a year in an Indonesian prison.

Pello was arrested and charged with blasphemy on Dec. 6, 2022, for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a video he posted that refuted insults against Jesus. Following his arrest, Pello’s condition remained unknown for several months.

An International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer who recently spoke with Pello confirmed his release, stating that Pello was granted parole on Feb. 20. He must report to the prosecutor’s office monthly until his parole ends in December.

Before his arrest, four officers questioned Pello in his home about the content of episode 248 of his YouTube channel, which police said offended Muslims and Islam. After the officers left his home, Pello also left. When he returned home at 11 p.m., Pello discovered that nearly 30 officers had broken into his home and ransacked his house. An officer then arrested him. 

Following a trial on April 17, 2023, a Malan district court judge sentenced Pello to two years and six months in prison. 

Pello, a Coptic Orthodox Christian, was a professor at a small Christian theological school in East Java and regularly published videos and blog posts that compared Christianity to Islam. Pello was known for his debates regarding the two religions, and his content reached many people online.  

While Indonesia’s constitution and multiple Indonesian officials emphasize the importance of religious freedom, Christians and other religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country often face persecution.  

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