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To His Holiness Pope Francis,in the Vatican City
With utmost respect,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is John Ganesha Siahaan, S.H., an advocate currently representing Mr. Hendra Sarjana (hereinafter referred to as Our Client) in a criminal case he is facing in Indonesia.
Along with four other colleagues, we are fulfilling our professional duty to assist Our Client in responding to allegations brought forth by law enforcement regarding an alleged violation of hate speech laws through social media, as stipulated in Indonesian law.
Case Background
This incident began on September 3, 2024, when Your Holiness visited Indonesia and was warmly welcomed by the people.
National media, including the YouTube news channel TRIBUNews, provided live coverage of the event. This coverage notification appeared on Our Client’s YouTube account, and after watching the video and reading comments from other users, Our Client felt provoked and left a comment that, according to law enforcement, was deemed offensive and in violation of prevailing laws.
As a result of this incident, Our Client was detained by the police on September 5, 2024, and is now awaiting trial.
Request for Forgiveness and Efforts Toward Reconciliation
Upon his arrest, Our Client offered no resistance and expressed deep regret for his actions. As a gesture of goodwill and responsibility, he requested that we initiate communication with Catholic religious leaders and Catholic community organizations in Indonesia to seek a peaceful resolution.
We have made efforts to contact relevant parties, including Bishop Adrianus Sunarko from the Diocese of Pangkalpinang, Indonesia.
We are also including a video recording of a statement of clarification made by Our Client on October 31, 2024, as evidence of his sincerity in seeking forgiveness for his actions.
An Appeal for Compassion
As Our Client’s legal counsel, I would like to highlight some teachings of Jesus Christ that convey messages of forgiveness and love.
In John 8:7, Jesus said, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
We feel that the situation Our Client faces resembles the compassion and protection that Jesus showed to the woman in that passage.
Similarly, in Matthew 5:43-45:
Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be like our Father in Heaven who shows love to all, regardless of background.
A Request for an Amicus Curiae
In the coming weeks, Our Client’s case will proceed to trial in the District Court of Koba. In Indonesia, there is an avenue known as Amicus Curiae, whereby interested parties may submit letters to the presiding judge, providing their views for consideration in the case.
We humbly request that Your Holiness might consider extending a letter of Amicus Curiae to the Chief Judge of the Koba District Court, in the hope that it may provide a compassionate perspective that could either exonerate or at least mitigate the potential sentence for Our Client.
We are fully aware that this request is an extraordinary one, yet we hope that the compassion of His Holiness Pope Francis may bring light and hope to Our Client during this difficult time in his life.
With heartfelt gratitude for Your Holiness’ kindness and attention,
Respectfully,
John Ganesha Siahaan, S.H.
