Jakarta – Indonesia will release 10 ageing political prisoners, including ex-Colonel Abdul Latief, all sentenced to death more than 30 years ago for alleged involvement in the 1965 coup, Justice Minister Muladi said Wednesday.
Muladi said the release was "intended to speed up the process of national reconciliation, which requires legal efforts, by giving amnesty to prisoners who are serving sentences.
"They are released because they have shown good conduct and because of other humanitarian considerations, such as their ages and deteriorating health conditions." he said.
"One of the reasons for their release is that during their detention they have shown good conduct," Muladi said after meeting President B.J. Habibie.
Latief, 73, was accused of taking part in the murder of six generals during the coup, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). He was at first sentenced to death but the penalty was later commuted to life imprisonment.
In an interview with AFP in Jakarta's Cipinang jail last year, Latief claimed that ex-president Suharto, who rose to power in the aftermath of the coup had some foreknowledge of what was going to happen.
Immediately after the coup, Suharto banned the PKI, then the world's second largest communist party after China, and all communist teachings.
A subsequent purge of suspected communists and their supporters left 500,000 dead by official admission and millions imprisoned.
Suharto rose to power the same year after sidelining the then president Sukarno and assumed the presidency in 1968.
"He had already agreed [with the plan to round up the generals] and if he had already agreed he should have informed the Pangab (the then-armed forces commander General Ahmad Yani who was one of those killed)," Latief said.
Asked why he had taken part in the murder of the generals, Latief replied: "I followed orders because of the military code and not because I was a communist."
Muladi said the 10 would all have to pledge their allegiance to the state ideology Pancasila and the constitution by signing a loyalty pledge.
The oldest of those to be released was born in 1923 while the youngest is 52 years old. Latief suffered a stroke in 1997 and several of the others on the release list are understood to be bed-ridden.
The nine others to be freed were named as ex-Master Sergeant Bungkus, Sergeant Major Marsudi bin Marzuki, Asep Suryaman, Natanael Marsudi, Sri Suharjo, Isnanto, Buyung Ketek, Markus Giroth and Sijo.