Corry Elyda, Jakarta – Prosecutors sought on Thursday a suspended sentence for Abdul Azis, the defendant of a harassment case in last year's attack against the Congregation of Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia in Bekasi.

Prosecutors demanded the Bekasi District Court sentence Abdul to three months in jail and six months of probation after saying that all substances related to the charge had been proved.

"We demand the panel of judges to sentence the defendant for violating the Criminal Code's Article 335 on offensive behavior," prosecutor Asvera Primadona said.

She said all witnesses confirmed that Abdul did threaten to kill HKBP Filadelfia Pastor Palti Panjaitan by saying, "Palti, I will slash your neck".

According to Asvera, there were mitigating factors about the defendant that made the prosecutors seeking jail sentence more lenient than the maximum one-year jail term.

"The defendant is a local young religious figure who admitted his wrongdoings and showed good behaviors at the court," she said.

Abdul Azis and his friends were reported by Filadelfia congregates to the Jakarta Police for allegedly inciting local residents to use violence and intimidation to prevent the congregation from worshiping in their church in April last year.

Filadelfia lawyer Judianto Simanjuntak said the congregates were not satisfied with the demand, saying that the sentence was too light.

Judianto said the prosecutors should have demanded maximum sentence for Abdul as the case was not personal. "The is a threat against religious freedom, not merely a personal matter," he said.

Judianto said, however, that he could not blame the prosecutors as the police seemed to be not serious enough in handling the case in the first place. "The police charged Abdul with only one article; offensive behavior."

Judianto said Abdul could at least be charged with three articles of the Criminal Code, including preventing people in conducting religious practices and the use of violence.

Based on the video recorded by witness Lexi Santosa, a reporter for alternative media outlet Pantau, Abdul did threaten to kill HKBP pastor Palti Panjaitan.

The trial of Abdul Azis is the first that has been brought to court of four reports filed by the congregates who were banned in conducting their services at their church site since 2010.

The HKBP Filadelfia conflict started in December 2009 when a former Bekasi regent, Sa'duddin, issued a decree sealing the church building and stopping the congregation from worshipping there.

In September 2010, the Bandung State Administrative Court annulled Sa'duddin's decree and ordered him to issue a permit for the church. However, he did not comply with the court's orders.

The congregates have never attempted to pray at the church site again since January this year, preferring to conduct a Sunday service in front of Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta with other beleaguered congregates of Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin every two weeks.