| Subject: Indon
Frees 90 Political Prisoners, incl. Budiman Sujatmiko
Indonesia frees 90 political prisoners
JAKARTA, Dec 10 (AFP) - Indonesia on
Friday released 90 political prisoners, most of them East Timorese.
In a ceremony at Cipinang jail in East
Jakarta, where many of of those released were held, Law and Legislation
Minister Yusril Isra Mahendra officially freed them by reading out three
presidential decrees containing the names.
Those released included six members of
the People's Democratic Party (PRD), 70 East Timorese and 15 people
involved in Muslim radical groups in Lampung, southern Sumatra and in
Jakarta in the 1980s.
However, only 18 East Timorese were at
the jail where the five PRD members are also held.
The other East Timorese were held in
prisons in East Timor's districts of Dili and Bacau but Mahendra said they
might have been freed long ago as the territory was no longer part of
Indonesia.
The East Timorese will spend the night at
an undisclosed place in Jakarta under the care of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and will be flown by an ICRC chartered
plane to Dili on Saturday morning, ICRC spokesperson Sri Wahyu Endah told
AFP.
"This is at the demand of (East
Timorese independence leader ) Xanana Gusmao himself, and he will be on
hand to welcome them back in Dili," Endah said.
Indonesia relinquished authority over
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony it invaded in 1975, to the United
Nations in October following a UN-held ballot in August which produced an
overwhelming vote for independence.
Their release followed a presidential
amnesty or a presidential decision to cut sentences, he said.
Three presidential decrees have been
issued for the releases, he said.
The decrees said the decision to free the
political prisoners was part of the government's effort to uphold human
rights and to promote national unity.
The PRD members freed were chairman
Budiman Sujatmiko and four others -- Suroso (eds: one name), Ignatius
Pranowo, Jacobus Eko Kurniawan and Garda Sembiring.
PRD secretary general Petrus Haryanto,
serving a 12-year jail term for trying to undermine the authority of the
government handed down in 1997, was not on the list but Mahendra said it
was only a "technical" mistake and Haryanto could be released
with the other five PRD members Friday.
President Abdurrahman Wahid told visiting
businessmen at the Negara Palace earlier Friday that Haryanto had not been
on the list of names suggested for release by the legislature.
"I have asked that this be quickly
settled, if necessary so he can be released today as well but if is not
possible, well, I can only apologize," Wahid said according to the
Detikcom online news service.
"I will visit regions across
Indonesia to meet PRD activisits. If I have to thank someone, I am
thanking my mother, students and the people because without them I would
probably have to stay for another five to 10 more years," Sujatmiko
said after his release.
The PRD was outlawed under former
president Suharto, but the ban was lifted after the former strongman
stepped down in May 1998.
PRD leaders were accused by the Suharto
government of masterminding a riot in Jakarta in 1996, in which at least
five people were killed and dozens of buildings were set ablaze. The
government then banned the leftist-leaning pro-democracy organisation and
detained its leaders.
The government of Suharto's successor
B.J. Habibie lifted the ban, allowed the party to contest the June 7
elections this year and offered its leader Sujatmiko an amnesty.
The offer was rejected by Sujatmiko, who
demanded unconditional release for all political prisoners.
About 50 PRD supporters and students held
a rally outside the jail to welcome the release.
Back
to December Menu
World Leaders Contact List
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu
Note: For those who would like to fax "the
powers that be" - CallCenter V3.5.8, is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software
application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge!
Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |
