Hotel bomb convict to get remission

Hotel bomb convict to get remission

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sardona Siliwangi, a 24-year-old man convicted of storing explosives used to bomb Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel in 2003, was reported to be among the thousands of prisoners across the country to get jail cuts in observance of Idul Fitri.

Bengkulu justice and human rights office head Arman Nazar said on Sunday that Sardona would be given one month's remission.

The sentence reduction was being given to the terrorist convict due to his "good conduct and contribution to the prison" while serving his jail term in Bengkulu penitentiary, Arman said.

Sardona was sentenced by the Bengkulu District Court to 20 years in prison last year for his roles in the hotel blast and in hiding key terrorist suspects Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, who are both still at large. It will be his first remission.

Earlier, the local authorities had proposed that Sardona be exempted from receiving Idul Fitri remission. But Arman said the proposal was dropped after the House of Representatives issued a letter recommending remissions for all prisoners, including terrorism convicts.

"This is a human rights matter. Receiving remission is the right of every prisoner serving more than a six months' jail term as long as he/she behaves well in prison," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Last week, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said senior terror convict Abu Bakar Ba'asyir would likely be among those also entitled to Idul Fitri remission, despite protests from Australia.

Australia has several times appealed to Indonesia not to further cut the 30-month sentence of Ba'asyir, who was convicted of playing a role in the first Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 98 Australians.

A similar protest was also lodged by the neighboring country against Ba'asyir's remission in observance of Indonesia's 60th anniversary of independence in August 2005.

Arman further said that to mark the upcoming Idul Fitri holiday, which falls on Thursday this year, as many as 550 out of 578 prisoners in Bengkulu would have their sentences reduced by between 15 days and 60 days.

With the remissions, he said, at least 18 recipients would automatically be able to walk free from Bengkulu prison.

He said the 167 prisoners who did not receive remissions were those generally involved in clashes and other disturbances in prison.

Arman said the granting of remission was aimed at educating prisoners so as to abide by prison regulations and to improve their skills while serving their jail terms.

Prisoners, he said, are required to take part in training in the hope that they would no longer resort to crime after being released.