Jakarta – Two Islamic militants jailed for their role in helping bombers in the 2002 Bali blasts, were freed from prison after receiving sentence cuts to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid, officials have said.
Indonesia typically grants sentence cuts of up to six months twice a year – once to mark independence day and another to mark major religious holidays handed out according to the convict's faith.
Sirojul Munir, who was serving a five-year term in the East Kalimantan capital of Balikpapan for harboring key bomber Ali Imron, walked free from jail after Eid prayers Tuesday, after receiving a one-month reduction, a prison official said.
"The list of sentence cuts were read out to the prisoners after the Eid prayers, and Sirojul Munir, who received a one-month remission, was allowed to leave the jail, along with four other prisoners who also completed their terms," said the official, who identified himself as Edi.
Edi said that with the sentence cut, Munir had served his jail term. He was picked up from jail by his family, he added.
A total of 255 of the jail's 315 detainees were given sentence cuts to honor the holiday, he said.
Munir was jailed in October 2003 for hindering anti-terrorist police operations by hiding Imron in East Kalimantan shortly after the Bali bombings. Imron is serving life in prison for his role in the nightclub blasts on the resort island which killed 202 people, mostly Western holidaymakers.
Munir has received remissions totalling two years and one month since he began serving his term.
The official said that the final militant being held at the prison in connection with the bombing, Muhammad Yunus, also received a one-month remission, but would remain in jail until 2008.
Muhammad Rudi bin Salim, 48, alias Mujarot, also was preparing for freedom after being accorded a six-week remission, said Ilham Djaya, the head of the Kerobokan jail in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
"He is in theory already a free man, since the list of sentence cuts was announced after the Eid prayers, but he is now still in jail as police are preparing to assure his safety for his return home," Djaya told AFP. He did not elaborate further.
Rudi was serving a five-year term for the same offence as Munir. Eight other Bali bombing convicts in Kerobokan also received sentence cuts, Djaya said.
The head of the Bali Penitentiary Office, Mayun Mataram, told AFP earlier Tuesday that Rudi was one of six prisoners in Bali to walk free after receiving the sentence cuts.
Meanwhile, three Muslim militants on deathrow for the 2005 Bali bombings were ready for their execution at any time, one of them was quoted as saying by the state Antara news agency.
"We are ready to be executed, whenever," Ali Gufron alias Mukhlas, said after Eid prayers at the Nusakambangan island jail, Central Java, where he and two other key Bali bombers – Amrozi and Imam Samudra – have been awaiting execution since October 2005.
Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin, told journalists here that a total of 50,385 prisoners received sentence cuts to mark Eid, and 2,402 of them were consequently released from custody.
Among the recipients of the cuts was the youngest son of ex-Indonesian president Suharto, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who was given a 45-day sentence cut.
Tommy Suharto was originally handed a 15-year jail sentence for commissioning the contract killing of a senior judge who had jailed him for corruption. The sentence was widely criticised for being too light but the Supreme Court then reduced it to 10 years without explanation.
Repeated remissions have been meted out to several of the dozens of militants jailed over the 2002 Bali bombings, angering Australia, which lost 88 of its nationals in the atrocity, and other Western nations.
Remissions are given to all prisoners who have shown good conduct except for those on death row and serving life sentences. Three of the 2002 Bali bombing ringleaders are awaiting execution.