Govt releases 27 political prisoners
Govt releases 27 political prisoners
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has released 27 more
political prisoners, pardoned three elderly communist prisoners,
and restored the good name of four senior activists, including
the late Lt. Gen. Hartono Rekso Dharsono, Minister of Justice
Muladi said yesterday.
Habibie, in his decree dated Aug. 15, decided to restore the
dignity of Dharsono, one of former president Soeharto's strongest
critics, both as an Indonesian citizen and as an Army senior
officer.
"Lt. Gen. Dharsono had given great contributions to the
nation," Muladi said after attending the commemoration of
independence day at the Merdeka Palace grounds.
In what is an annual tradition, the government freed dozens of
prisoners nationwide and granted sentence reductions to others to
mark the nation's independence day. After replacing Soeharto in
May, Habibie has released at least 50 political prisoners. At
least 120 antigovernment activists still remain in jail.
Dharsono was sent to jail in 1984 on charges of subversion,
and was freed in 1990.
When he died in 1996 his right to be buried in a heroes'
cemetery, as a independence veteran and a general, was still
suspended.
Three other activists restored are Abdul Qadir Jaelani, A.F.
Fatwa and H.M. Sanusi who were also jailed for their anti-
Soeharto activities.
Jaelani got an 18-year sentence in the 1980s but was released
after serving more than half of his sentence in 1993.
Fatwa, jailed for 18 years, received a parole in 1993.
Sanusi, former minister of light industry in the 1960s, also
received a similar sentence, and received a conditional release
in 1994. Habibie presented the country's second highest medal
Mahaputra medal to Sanusi on Friday.
Muladi said yesterday the president also pardoned ageing
members of the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for
humanitarian reasons.
They were sentenced to life for their involvement in the
abortive PKI's coup attempt in Sept. 30, 1965.
Muladi identified them as Manan Effendi (80), Alexander Warouw
(80) and Pujo Prasetyo (79).
"Considering the length of the jail terms that have been
served by the prisoners, and for humanitarian considerations, it
is deemed necessary to grant clemency to those prisoners," the
president said in his decree.
He also decided to release 25 political prisoners, including
six East Timorese separatist activists, nine Aceh activists and
three Irian fighters.
Because of the decree, East Timorese rebel leader Xanana
Gusmao received a four-month cut from his 20-year sentence.
After the announcement, Xanana reiterated a call for Habibie
to release all political prisoners to prove his commitment to
democratic change.
"If this is a regime of reform, Habibie has to release all
political prisoners without preconditions or criteria," Gusmao
told reporters in Jakarta's Cipinang prison. He was accompanied
by fellow political prisoner Budiman Sudjatmiko of the Democratic
People's Party, incarcerated for subversion against Soeharto's
administration. (prb)