Budiman bids farewell to jail<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): There were traces of relief, happiness and hope
\nfor a bright new life when 91 political inmates nationwide were
\nreleased on Friday in a virtual marking of the end of past
\nauthoritarianism, in which thousands of people were sent to jail
\nfor their political beliefs.<\/p>\n
Under an evening rainfall at exactly 9 p.m., Democratic
\nPeople's Party (PRD) Budiman Sudjatmiko and fellow released
\nprisoners stepped out of Cipinang Penitentiary.<\/p>\n
Loud cheers from around 50 PRD supporters, who had been
\nwaiting for the historic event for hours, greeted Budiman and his
\nfive party activists who were sentenced to serve between six and
\n13 years in jail.<\/p>\n
The six PRD activists were convicted of treason following the
\ngovernment-supported takeover of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty's office on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta in 1996.<\/p>\n
\"Now I will be with you. You gave me strength when I was at
\nthe lowest ebb of my life. Now we will begin a new fight for a
\nbetter future,\" Budiman told his supporters outside the
\npenitentiary.<\/p>\n
Once outlawed by the government of former president Soeharto,
\nPRD contested the June elections, but did not win enough votes to
\ngain House of Representatives seats.<\/p>\n
Not far from the place where he stood, his girlfriend
\nCatherine, along with his father Wartono and mother Sri Sulastri,
\nwatched the young activist celebrate.<\/p>\n
\"First I would like to thank the people, my mother and the
\nstudents for my release. It was because of their struggle for
\nsweeping reform,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Budiman and his five PRD friends were granted amnesty by
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid after spending almost three years in
\nprison. \"If it wasn't because of the people, maybe I would stay
\n10 years longer in here,\" he said to express his thanks to the
\nnew reformist government.<\/p>\n
He said he would prefer to stay in prison if one of his
\nfriends, Petrus Hariyanto, was excluded from the list of
\nprisoners released.<\/p>\n
Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who saw
\noff prisoners from Cipinang Penitentiary, said that the initial
\nfailure to pick Petrus was a \"technical mistake\".<\/p>\n
In front of Budiman and his lawyer Hendardi, Yusril said he
\nhad earlier told President Abdurrahman about the condition. \"The
\nPresident asked for my suggestion upon the matter and I proposed
\nthe government give amnesty to Petrus also,\" Yusril said.<\/p>\n
\"Then I order you to release him,\" President Abdurrahman Wahid
\nsaid as quoted by Yusril. A presidential decree for Petrus'
\nrelease will be issued on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
The released was made official at 8 p.m. when Director General
\nof Correctional Affairs Hassanudin, Hendardi and Yusril signed
\nthe release documents and handed them to Budiman, who represented
\nPRD inmates and Gregorio Da Cunha Saldanha, who represented East
\nTimorese prisoners.<\/p>\n
Budiman said he would continue his political career and build
\nup his party. \"I will initiate reconciliation inside my party and
\ngive political education to the cadres,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Along with the PRD's activists, the government also released
\n18 political prisoners from East Timor. Two of them had been
\ndetained in Cipinang since the Santa Cruz incident in 1991, while
\nthe other 16 were arrested in 1997.<\/p>\n
All of the East Timorese will be flying to Dili on Saturday
\nmorning with the help of the International Committee of the Red
\nCross (ICRC), which has chartered a plane to transport them.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson of ICRC, Sri Wahyu Endah said that Xanana
\nwould welcome the ex-prisoners as soon as they set their feet
\nback in their homeland.<\/p>\n
One of the East Timorese, Mario Fillipe, said he was grateful
\nto the new Indonesian government. \"Now I can go home and build
\nEast Timor with my fellow countrymen,\" he said. Mario was
\narrested in 1997.<\/p>\n
Joan Bosco Ximenes expressed another feeling. \"I regretted the
\nslow action of the government, we should have been released three
\nmonths ago,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another East Timorese, Gregorio Da Cunha Saldanha, said that
\nhe no longer felt hatred toward Indonesia. \"I hope Dili can have
\nbuild better relationship with Indonesia, as Indonesia is under a
\nnew good government,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gregorio was arrested in 1991 after the Santa Cruz incident.
\n\"I don't know where my family is. My house has been burned, but
\nI'm happy now because I can see my homeland again,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Some of the East Timorese refused to talk to reporters.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Friday, the State Minister of Human Rights Affairs
\nHasballah M. Saad said that Dec. 10, which coincided with the
\ncommemoration of international Human Rights Day, was the right
\nmomentum to put an end to political imprisonment.<\/p>\n
\"What a good coincidence, maybe the President also sees today
\nas the right moment to give amnesty,\" he told reporters during
\nhis visit to Cipinang Penitentiary.<\/p>\n
In commemoration of Human Rights Day, Hasballah visited
\nCipinang Penitentiary and the women's penitentiary in Tangerang.
\n(04)<\/p>",
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