Brother of Burlington man jailed in Indonesia says next 30 days are crucial

(Updated)
A Burlington teacher who’s been behind bars in Indonesia for three months without any charges laid — is being held for another 30 days. His family says while this latest extension is disappointing, they’re hopeful it’s almost over.

Tracy Bantleman, Neil’s wife: “We are just shaking our head in disbelief at how this continues to drag on.”

Neil Bantleman’s been in a Jakarta jail for more than 90 days, but hasn’t been charged with any crime. He and a colleague are being held on accusations they sexually abused students.

Guy Bantleman, Neil’s brother: “He’s not been provided by any sort of evidence that justifies his continued detention.

Since his arrest in mid-July, Bantleman’s detention has been extended multiple times. And his family has just learned he’ll be held for another month.

Tracy Bantleman: “I cannot emphasize enough how disappointing it is to our community, to Neil, to Ferdie. It’s so heartbreaking to see those 2 men detained behind bars for the many days they already have been.”

While his family says this latest extension is disappointing, they’re hopeful it’s almost over.

Tracy Bartleman: “He’s surprising showing a great amount of determination and resilience, perhaps because we are getting closer to the end.”

“November 11th will mark 120 days that Bantleman has been behind bars. At that point, he’ll either have to be released or he’ll have to be formally charged under Indonesian law.

Guy Bantleman: “We are banking on the fact that Neil is innocent, there is no incident that occurred, and the 120 days will force the authorities to make a decision and with no physical evidence, they have to let him go.

Over the next 30 days they say they’ll be putting pressure on the Canadian government.

Guy Bantleman: The Canadian government needs to step up and say to the Indonesian authorities ‘you’ve got a Canadian citizen, you’ve held him for more than 3 months, you havent charged him, there is no physical evidence, you need to make a decision and you need to release him’.”