Govt releases 105 remaining prisoners<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Izha
\nMahendra proudly announced on Thursday that there would be no
\nmore political prisoners in Indonesia as President Abdurrahman
\nWahid had issued a decree releasing the remaining 105.<\/p>\n
Yusril said the President signed Presidential Decree No. 173
\non Thursday, to release 72 political prisoners which included 39
\nactivists from Irian Jaya, 11 from Aceh and 14 from East Timor.<\/p>\n
The list includes the activist Elizer Awom, who received a
\nlife sentence for subversive activities as a Free Papua Movement
\n(OPM) fighter. He is serving his sentence at Kalisosok Prison in
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
The President also decided to free 33 political detainees from
\nIrian Jaya, most of whom are Free Papua Movement (OPM) activists.
\nMost of the prisoners are incarcerated in Sorong Prison,
\nincluding Adarce Burdam and Filep Yacob Samuel Karma.<\/p>\n
Yusril said that barring unforeseen complications, the
\nprisoners would be freed by Friday.<\/p>\n
\"With the release, there will be no more political prisoners
\nin our country,\" Yusril told journalists at the Bina Graha
\npresidential office.<\/p>\n
\"If there are families who know that their relatives or family
\nmembers have not been released, please let me know,\" the minister
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
To mark Christmas and Idul Fitri, Abdurrahman, through his
\ndecree No. 174, even granted special sentence reductions to 3,800
\nof the some 38,000 criminal convicts across the country. The
\nPresident traditionally grants such reductions to mark the
\ncountry's independence day on Aug. 17.<\/p>\n
\"This is a breakthrough of the present government. Now a
\nprisoner can get two sentence reductions in a year,\" said Yusril.<\/p>\n
However, there still appears to be some confusion over the
\nfate of many of the East Timor political prisoners since many of
\nthem were jailed in East Timor which is no longer part of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Out of 14 East Timorese prisoners, three of them -- Jacinto
\ndas Noves Raimundo, Saturnino da Costa Bello and Financio
\nCarvalhoare -- were jailed in Semarang, Central Java, while the
\nremaining were said to have been jailed in prisons in Baucau,
\nDili and Maliana in East Timor.<\/p>\n
East Timor was officially separated from Indonesia in October.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with East Timor independence leader Jose
\nAlexandre \"Xanana\" Gusmao on Nov. 30, Abdurrahman promised to
\nfree the remaining East Timorese prisoners still in Indonesian
\njails.<\/p>\n
Of the Acehnese prisoners, eight of them are currently
\nimprisoned in Banda Aceh, while the rest are incarcerated in
\nMedan, North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
This was the second time the President has issued a decree
\nfreeing political prisoners since his election as president in
\nOctober.<\/p>\n
He freed 91 political prisoners, including 70 East Timorese,
\nsix leaders of the Democratic People's Party (PRD) and 15 people
\ninvolved in the Lampung riots. PRD chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko
\nwas also among those released.<\/p>\n
\"The government can no longer punish someone just because he
\nor she has different views to that of the government,\" Yusril
\nsaid, reiterating the government's commitment to put an end to
\nsuch practices.(prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-releases-105-remaining-prisoners-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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