Surviving prisoners of tsunami may get released<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government could generously reward some 300 prisoners in Aceh
\nwho chose not to escape even though their prisons had been
\ndestroyed in last year's tsunami.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said on
\nThursday that he had suggested that President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono halve the sentences of both adult and juvenile
\nprisoners in Aceh who survived the disaster but returned to the
\nprisons.<\/p>\n
The same reward may also be given to prisoners who reported
\ntheir whereabouts to authorities after their prisons had been
\nswept away by the giant Indian Ocean waves, Hamid said.<\/p>\n
He added that they had conducted social and humanitarian
\nactivities when they were outside the prisons.<\/p>\n
Many of the prisons in coastal towns in Aceh were destroyed by
\nthe Dec. 26 tsunami.<\/p>\n
\"The government really appreciates their honesty and
\nintegrity. They could have run away as we no longer have
\ndocuments, which were swept away by the tsunami,\" Hamid said.<\/p>\n
He was speaking to reporters after a limited Cabinet meeting
\non the issue, which was led by Susilo and attended by other top
\ngovernment officials including Attorney General Abdul Rahman
\nSaleh, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and Coordinating
\nMinister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi
\nSucipto.<\/p>\n
According to Hamid, the remissions, if approved, would be
\ngiven during a ceremony on Aug. 17 to mark Independence Day.<\/p>\n
The government traditionally gives remissions to prisoners on
\nIndependence Day. Sentences are usually cut by several months, at
\nthe most.<\/p>\n
A massive earthquake followed by deadly tidal waves on Dec. 26
\ndevastated Aceh, claiming more than 129,000 lives, including many
\nprisoners trapped inside their cells.<\/p>\n
The tsunami also opened the way for the government and the
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group to clinch a peace agreement,
\nexpected to be signed on Aug. 15, in which the central government
\nwill offer amnesties to GAM members detained for rebellious
\nactivities. GAM members involved in ordinary crimes, however,
\nwill not be given amnesties.<\/p>\n
In another development, Hamid also revealed that the President
\nhad ordered a team of ministers to review requests for
\npresidential pardons from some 2,500 convicts. Some had filed for
\npardons in the 1990s during the Soeharto administration.<\/p>\n
Most of those requesting presidential pardons are usually
\nthose handed death or life sentences involving high-profile
\ncriminal cases.<\/p>\n
According to the revised law on presidential pardons, only
\nconvicts sentenced to more than two years' imprisonment are
\neligible to request a presidential pardon. In comparison, the
\nprevious 1953 law said that convicts sentenced to more than 15
\ndays' imprisonment could request pardons.<\/p>\n
\"The President will decide (on the fate of 2,500 prisoners)
\nsoon,\" Hamid said.<\/p>\n
In Thursday's meeting, the President decided not to pardon
\nconvicts involved in \"very sadistic murder cases\".<\/p>\n
\"We talked about presidential pardons involving sadistic
\nmurder. Both the government and the Supreme Court take the same
\nstance, not to accept such requests,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
According to the Constitution, the president has the
\nprerogative to grant a presidential pardon after considering
\nopinions of the Supreme Court.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surviving-prisoners-of-tsunami-may-get-released-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}