Jail term sought for religious minister

Jail term sought for religious minister

JAKARTA: An Indonesian prosecutor called Monday for a Christian priest to be jailed for five years for allegedly possessing guns in a strife-torn district of Central Sulawesi province.

Prosecutor I Putu Gde Jeladha Palu said Renaldy Damanik, 44, had been proven guilty of possessing three home-made rifles and 144 rounds of ammunition.

Renaldy, 44, general secretary of the Christian Church Synod of Central Sulawesi, is a vocal Christian community leader in the Poso district.

Intermittent sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians which broke out in 2000 in the district left up to 1,000 people dead.

Putu Gde said the firearms and ammunition were found in Renaldy's car when police searched it in August last year.

Renaldy has accused the police of planting the weapons. He said there were no witnesses to the alleged discovery of the guns.

The priest has been a strong critic of the security forces handling of the violence in Poso, often accusing them of taking sides.

The court hearing resumes on June 9, Judge I Nyoman Somanada told AFP from the provincial capital of Palu. --AFP