Andi Arief, who heads SMID, the student wing of the People's Democratic Party, was released on Tuesday [July 14] and has now returned to his parents' home in Lampung, South Sumatra.

Andi Arief was kidnapped from his sister's home on 28 March and held for eighteen days in an unknown location. He was then handed over by his captors to the Jakarta police who announced that he would be charged in connection with an explosion at a house in Tanah Tinggi, Jakarta.

The police have consistently refused to reveal the identity of the security forces who handed him over, thus prolonging the difficulties in exposing the forces responsible for dozens of disappearances.

According to Antara Tuesday, following his release, Andi Arief immediately returned to Lampung and is now back with his parents.

The Legal Aid Institute in Lampung has been given power of attorney by the family to handle the case of Andi's kidnapping, including suing those responsible for his three-week disappearance. The Institute was planning to hold a press conference yesterday to divulge more about what happened to Andi.

Andi was kidnapped on 28 March and taken, blindfolded to a location in the vicinity of Jakarta where he was held for almost three weeks. Most of the time he was kept blindfolded and was therefore unable to identify any of his captors. In an blatant attempt to cover up for those responsible for the kidnap, the Jakarta police even alleged that their arrest warrant dated back to 28 March, a claim vigorously denied by Andi Arief himself.