The founder of an environmental news service says the Indonesian government should have celebrated the work of one of his journalists rather than detaining him.
Phil Jacobson was deported to the United States last month after weeks of city arrest and four days in prison.
He had been invited to Kalimantan to attend a meeting between an indigenous group and the local government.
Mongabay founder Rhett Butler says Mr Jacobson had travelled to Indonesia on a business visa but was accused of working there as a journalist.
He says at first, Mr Jacobson was banned from leaving the city of Palangkaraya for five weeks.
In this handout picture taken and released by Palangkaraya Legal Aid on January 31, 2020, US journalist Philip Jacobson (C) gestures next to head of Palangkaraya legal aid Aryo Nugroho Waluyo (L) and lawyer Parlin Bayu Hutabarat (R) before leaving Palangkaraya airport in Central Kalimantan. Photo: AFP PHOTO / PALANGKARAYA LEGAL AID
