Indonesia has begun releasing hundreds of inmates from prison, including people convicted of political offenses, after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto’s wide-ranging clemency plan. The plan is reportedly aimed at building national solidarity. A first group of 1,178 inmates were released on Friday after House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas announced late on Thursday that Subianto had signed a Presidential Decree granting amnesties.
Among those released on Friday were prominent rivals of former President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, including Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the country’s only formal opposition party. Kristiyanto was sentenced last week to three and a half years in prison for bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme. Released on Friday evening from his cell at the anti-Corruption Commission’s detention center in South Jakarta, Kristiyanto told a cheering crowd, “We must learn from this incident.”
Law Minister Agtas said political prisoners and inmates with mental and chronic health illnesses, older people, juveniles, and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country’s leader will be prioritized in the pardons. Former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, also a onetime Widodo ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan, was among those released. Lembong was sentenced to more than four years in prison in July for reportedly abusing his authority as minister by improperly granting sugar import permits.
“Both [Kristiyanto and Lembong] have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,” Agtas said. Six independence activists from Indonesia’s restive West Papua region, serving prison sentences for treason, were also released. Agtas said authorities plan to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates for release to parliament in the near future.
The clemency plan was announced by Subianto barely two months after he took office in October, surprising the nation. Subianto, the former son-in-law of Indonesian dictator Soeharto, has said the plan is aimed at unifying the country. The release of the prisoners is seen as a significant step towards achieving this goal, with many of those freed having been jailed for political reasons.