US journalist Philip Jacobson released from prison, faces deportation from Indonesia
- Jacobson was arrested and held for three days after attending a public meeting, sparking an outcry over press freedom in Indonesia
- Officials said his visa did not permit him to conduct journalistic activities
After spending three nights in a six-man cell, Jacobson, an editor at the non-profit environmental news website Mongabay, was released on Friday under orders not to leave Palangkaraya, the capital of Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province.
“We are grateful that authorities have made this accommodation and remain hopeful that Phil’s case can be treated as an administrative matter rather than a criminal one,” Rhett Butler, Mongabay’s founder, said in a statement.
Butler added on Saturday that Indonesian authorities had given no guarantees that Jacobson would be deported or the charges against him dismissed.
“We’re hopeful this will be the case, but until then, we’re continuing with our outreach efforts to get him out of this situation,” he said.
Indonesian officials said Jacobson was not permitted to conduct journalistic activities because he had entered the country on a business visa. Jacobson’s colleagues said he was only attending meetings, not reporting.