Four police officers questioned Pello in his home about the content of his widely popular videos on the 6th of December 2022. He had uploaded 248 videos, many of which were debates with Muslim converts from Christianity. The police accused Pello of insulting Islam and Muslims. Then they left, but they returned that night and plundered his house before arresting him. 

Authorities claimed Pello had committed blasphemy by commenting on the Islamic prophet Muhammad online. Following his arrest, his whereabouts were unknown for numerous months. 

A Malan district court judge sentenced Pello to two years and six months in prison after a trial on the 17th of April 2023. A Christian church leader from Central Java stated: “The police always put the arrest of Christians on their priority list, but they are silent when it comes to the many fake clergymen and ustadz – Muslim “teacher” in Arabic – who insult Christian holy books even if the case has been reported. There is injustice in terms of law, and particularly in the matters of religion. The police are afraid of radicals.”

A staff member from International Christian Concern has recently spoken with Pello, confirming his release. He is required to report to a parole officer every month, until the end of his parole this December. 

Despite the fact that the Indonesian constitution emphasizes the importance of religious freedom, Christians and other religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country often face persecution from the government and some of the citizens.

Source: https://www.persecution.org/