Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has condemned the forced disbandment of a congregation service held by the Prosperous Mission Church (GSM) in Bantul, Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY), on Sunday May 24.
"We strongly condemn the forced disbandment of Christian worship in Bantul", he said in a written statement on Tuesday May 26.
According to Hamid, this act of intolerance serves as a reminder that the state still cannot guarantee freedom of worship for every citizen.
Yet the right to freedom of religion and worship is an absolute human right fully guaranteed by the Constitution. He said that administrative pretexts should not override citizens' constitutional right to worship.
"Even though the church has obtained a Certificate of Reporting (SKTL) to worship from the Yogyakarta regional office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, regional officials tend to be powerless under pressure from large mobs and allow the basic rights of their citizens to be trampled upon", he said.
Hamid also touched a pattern in a series of cases of discrimination against places of worship, which are considered to stem from Joint Regulations of the Ministers of Religious Affairs and the Ministers of Home Affairs Numbers 9 and 8 of 2006 or Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB 2 Menteri).
The requirement for support from at least 60 local residents and a recommendation from the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB) were said to contain discriminatory elements.
"These bureaucratic regulations complicate the process of obtaining a permit and are often used as legal pretexts to complicate matters for minority groups and legitimise acts of intolerance against them", he said.
Hamid emphasised that the government must act as an equal protector for all its citizens.
"Freedom of worship is a universal human right, not limited by administrative permits that can be forcibly revoked by any group", he said.
The incident involving the closure of the service occurred on May 24 and was widely discussed on social media. Several posts also alleged that the GMS Bantul congregation's service was broken up by a group of people.
- The Amnesty International Indonesia statement in Bahasa can be read here: https://www.amnesty.id/kabar-terbaru/siaran-pers/usut-tuntas-pembubaran-paksa-ibadah-jemaat-gms-di-bantul/05/2026/
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Amnesty International Kecam Pembubaran Ibadah GSM Bantul, Sebut Langgar Hak Kebebasan Beragama".]
