Supreme Court Tells Bogor to Allow Church to Open

June 14, 2011


The Supreme Court has demanded the Bogor administration comply with its order to allow the GKI Yasmin church to reopen.

The letter, signed by Justice Paulus Effendy Lotulung and dated June 1, said Indonesia’s laws should be upheld.

“For the sake of justice and legal certainty, and to ensure the supremacy of the law in law-based nation Indonesia, those who are in dispute should carry out the court ruling that has legal power,” the letter said.

Another justice, Akil Mochtar, said that if the administration failed to comply, officials could be jailed by the ombudsman.

Congregation members have been forced to worship by the side of the road after the Bogor administration, backed by local security officials, revoked a permit and sealed the church.

The actions were the latest violation of a Supreme Court ruling.

The court ruled in December last year against the revocation of the permit and ordered the church reopened.

In March, however, Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto permanently revoked the church’s building permit.

GKI Yasmin Rev. Ujang Tanusaputra said the Bogor administration should obey the court’s ruling, even though he conceded it was not legally binding.

He said its existence was, however, “morally binding.”

“Therefore, the church asks the Bogor government once more, especially Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto, to comply with the Supreme Court ruling dated Dec. 9, 2010. We hope the mayor could be a public official that obeys the law and the Constitution.”

The United Nations has written to the Indonesian government expressing “concern” about the increasing number of reports about violence committed against religious minorities, including the Bogor case.


(x the JG)