INDONESIA
UCA News (Union of Catholic Asian News)
December 9, 2020
Almost every Monday since September, Catholic lawyer Azas Tigor Nainggolan accompanies the altar boys who were sexually abused and their families appearing at the Depok District Court in West Java.
He accompanies them against the defendant, Syahril Marbun, former altar boys’ trainer at St Herkulanus parish, Bogor diocese, the first recorded case of sexual abuse in a church brought before a civil court.
In a hearing on Nov. 30, the judge had demanded 11 years in prison to Marbun who was charged with molesting more than 20 altar boys. He was scheduled to submit a defense note on Dec. 14.
“The demand is light and we are disappointed,” he told UCA News. “We hope the punishment will be severe, as it is an important point in cases of sexual abuse in the Indonesian church.”
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