Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Three years after the Aceh peace agreement, many former rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are still serving their jail sentences in prisons in Sumatra and Java. Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government and GAM in Helsinki on Aug. 15, 2005, the government gave total amnesty to 1,488 Acehnese political prisoners and remissions to 366 others serving their jail sentences in prisons in the province.

According to data from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Banda Aceh, at least eight political prisoners are still serving their sentences in Tanjung Gusta Prison in Medan, North Sumatra, Cipinang Prison in Jakarta and Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung, West Java.

"Contrary to the peace agreement, many political prisoners have not been freed yet," Kontras Aceh coordinator Asiah Uzia said here on Tuesday.

Some of the imprisoned former rebels include Teungku Ismuhadi, Irwan bin Ilias and Ibrahim Hasan, who were given life sentences. Ismuhadi was found guilty for his involvement in the bombing of the Jakarta Stock Exchange building on Sept. 13, 2000.

Chapter 3 of the MOU stipulates criminal and political prisoners detained during the prolonged conflict should be freed without reservation immediately or 15 days after the signing of the peace agreement.

The peace treaty, facilitated by Finland's former president, ended the 29-year bloody conflict which claimed more than 2,000 lives from 1976.

Chairman of the Forum for Ex-Acehnese Political Prisoners Teungku Iswadi questioned the government's handling of the peace agreement, saying the political prisoners should be released immediately because the government had no reason to keep them incarcerated.

"We demand all criminal and political prisoners be freed in compliance with the peace agreement and to maintain peace in the once-restive province," he said.

He believes the government should move the political prisoners to Aceh so the Acehnese government can deal with their amnesty.

The Acehnese government set up a 15-member team on Dec. 4, 2007, to provide advocacy for its political prisoners, however it has been ineffective.

"I was appointed as secretary of the advocacy team but we have never met," said Syarifuddin Gani.