Widodo’s rivals to walk free as Indonesia’s Prabowo pardons thousands of prisoners
Prominent opposition figures Hasto Kristiyanto and Tom Lembong will be released as ‘both have demonstrated service to the nation’
The announcement was made late on Thursday by the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas after a consultation between the government and party factions in the legislature.
Subianto surprised the nation barely two months after he took office in October when he said he planned to grant clemency to 44,000 inmates nationwide. Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used their amnesty powers, which require the approval of parliament.
Agtas said the government was prioritising prisoners with mental disorders, the elderly or critically ill, and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country’s leader.
Among the convicts set to be released are several prominent opposition figures, including Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of the country’s only formal opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.
Kristiyanto, a former Widodo ally who turned to harshly criticise the former president and his family, was sentenced last week to 3½ years in prison over bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme.