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)