Jail cuts for inmates questioned<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The granting of sentence remissions to some 103,000 prisoners in
\nobservance of Independence Day has come under fire, with
\nobservers noting the recipients included high-profile inmates
\nconvicted of terrorism, murder and corruption.<\/p>\n
Although the move is justified by a government regulation,
\nsome critics could not understand why former National Logistics
\nAgency (Bulog) chief Rahardi Ramelan was among the prisoners who
\nreceived sentence cuts on Aug. 17, when he had began serving his
\ntwo-year term just two days earlier for graft.<\/p>\n
Many have also questioned why former president Soeharto's son
\nHutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra, who was convicted of murdering a
\nhigh court judge and illegal gun possession, also had his 10-year
\nprison term cut by more than a year without any public
\nexplanation. Earlier this year, Tommy's then 15-year sentence was
\ncut by five years by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Controversy also surfaced over the granting of remissions to
\nthose convicted for terrorism offenses and Australia has
\nprotested Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's sentence cut of four and a-half
\nmonths from his 30-month jail term for conspiracy to commit
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
Legal experts urged the government on Friday to be transparent
\nwhen it gave sentence remissions to inmates in order to empower
\nthe prison's function as correctional institution.<\/p>\n
\"As correctional institutions, all prisons should have reports
\non all prisoners which should be evaluated before giving them
\nsentence remissions,\" said Rudi Satrio from the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Rudi believed many prisoners received jail cuts because of
\ntheir \"better relations\" with prison chiefs, wardens and other
\ntop officials.<\/p>\n
Rudi and Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, another legal expert from
\nthe same university, said while Government Regulation No. 32\/1995
\nstipulated that all prisoners had the right to receive
\nremissions, they were not automatically entitled to jail term
\nreductions every Independence Day or religious celebration.<\/p>\n
\"First of all, the government must be transparent as to why
\nTommy, Rahardi and Ba'asyir were granted sentence remissions to
\navoid any confusion among the public,\" Rudi said.<\/p>\n
The chief of the Nusakambangan prison in Cilacap, Central
\nJava, where Tommy is serving his term, should have explained the
\nreasons for Tommy's reduction, he said.<\/p>\n
Rudi said he believed Ba'asyir was granted the remission
\nbecause of a perceived \"unfair\" decision by the court that
\nsentenced Ba'asyir to imprisonment for conspiracy leading to the
\nOct. 12, 2002 Bali bombings. The bombs killed 202 people,
\nincluding 88 Australians.<\/p>\n
However, Rudi urged the Australian government not to intervene
\ninto Indonesia's internal affairs regarding Ba'asyir.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti, meanwhile, said Rahardi was entitled to sentence
\ncut of two months not because he had gone to jail two days before
\nIndependence Day but because he had earlier been detained for 10
\nmonths last year. Such a sentence remission was a right all
\ninmates were entitled to, she said.<\/p>\n
Rudi and Harkristuti agreed with calls for the government to
\nrevise the regulation so the decisions granting sentence
\nremissions would seen as be fair and just.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said
\nthe government was considering a plan to revise the regulations
\non remissions to exempt prisoners convicted of serious crimes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jail-cuts-for-inmates-questioned-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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