A local government’s forcible closure of a worship site earlier this year has been overturned in a surprising court decision in Indonesia.
Administrative court judges overturned the March 19 decision of Jombang Regency Government that Good God Church vacate its space in Indonesia’s East Java province, Morning Star News reports, quoting KBRN radio.
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In August 2024, when the regency closed and sealed the worship site, Herri Soesanto — the church’s pastor — was dragged from the premises, he said in a 2024 podcast, which Morning Star quotes in its recent article.
Until the closure, the congregation of Good God Church met in a Simpang Tiga shop-housing complex in Jombang, states Morning Star.
“The sealing of the worship site was part of a local government effort to reclaim several shops that the government asserts it owns,” explains Morning Star.
The pastor said he purchased the worship site from a private entity, but the government and a developer subsequently demanded rent payments.
Plans to appeal
The judges’ ruling to overturn the action of Jombang Regency Government surprised a government attorney and government officials, who contend that the regency legally owns the land. An attorney representing the regency plans to appeal the decision, states Morning Star, quoting kredoNews.com.
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