Two more subversion convicts released<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two men who were convicted of subversion five
\nyears ago for distributing the books of Pramoedya Ananta Toer
\nwalked out of a Yogyakarta jail on Saturday, courtesy of the
\nCentral Java Military Command.<\/p>\n
Bambang Isti Nugroho and Bambang Subono, both 32 years old,
\nwere granted conditional releases by the Wirogunan Correctional
\nInstitution although they have not yet fully served their jail
\nterms.<\/p>\n
The "Two Bambangs" as they are often referred to by fellow
\nactivists, were sentenced by the Yogyakarta District Court in
\n1989 to seven years and six months and seven years respectively.<\/p>\n
They were found guilty of spreading Communism and Marxism and
\nfor distributing the books of Pramoedya, Indonesia's most
\nrenowned writer, whose works are mostly banned in the country on
\ncharges that they have a Marxist flavor.<\/p>\n
Head of the Yogyakarta Justice Office Soedjarno Sih said both
\nmen fulfilled the criteria for conditional release, the Antara
\nnews agency reported.<\/p>\n
Their release came at the recommendation of the Diponegoro
\nMilitary Command and occurred one month after a fellow activist,
\nBonar Tigor Naipospos, was given similar treatment at the
\nrecommendation of the Jakarta Military Command.<\/p>\n
Nugroho was an employee of the laboratory section at the
\nYogyakarta-based University of Gadjah Mada, while Subono was a
\nstudent of the university.<\/p>\n
Bonar, also a Gadjah Mada student, was convicted in the same
\nyear for organizing a series of political meetings which the
\nauthorities considered subversive.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Defense of Human Rights
\n(LPHAM) and the Pijar Foundation, a student organization for
\nhuman rights campaign, praised the release of the two men, saying
\nthat democracy is slowly becoming a reality.<\/p>\n
Statement<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, the two groups said there was no reason
\nat all for the two men to spend time behind bars, because they
\nwere only exercising their constitutional rights.<\/p>\n
"Now that our democracy is getting better, we believe that
\nthere should be no more arrests or punishment for people simply
\nfor holding different views," the statement said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, it was reported that 21 students who were sentenced
\nto six months imprisonment by a Jakarta court last month for
\ndefaming President Soeharto have dropped their plans to appeal.<\/p>\n
Their lawyer Luhut Pangaribuan said that the decision should
\nnot be taken to mean that they have accepted the guilty verdict
\nbut more as a statement that they mistrust the court's fairness
\nin dealing with their case, according to the Kompas daily.<\/p>\n
The students in any case will be released on June 15.<\/p>\n
They were arrested on Dec. 14 during a demonstration at the
\nHouse of Representatives (DPR) demanding that the People's
\nConsultative Assembly summon President Soeharto to account for a
\nnumber of violent incidents that have occurred in the country in
\nrecent years. (par)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-more-subversion-convicts-released-1447893297",
"image": ""
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