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Associated Press
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian leaders said Friday they were upset that Indonesia had further shortened prison terms for bomb makers in the Bali terror attack that killed 202 people. . He granted parole.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was told by Indonesian authorities that Umar Patek's prison term had been reduced by another five months, giving him nearly two years in total.
That means Patek could be paroled before his 20th anniversary from the October bombings.
"This will cause further distress to Australians who were family members of the Bali bombing victims," Albanese told Channel 9.
Albanese said it would continue to have "diplomatic representation" to Indonesia over the Patek ruling and various other issues involving Australians currently imprisoned in Indonesia. Albanians described Patek as "abominable".
"His actions were those of a terrorist," Albanese told Channel 9.
Indonesia often grants commuted sentences to prisoners on major holidays such as the country's Independence Day, which is Wednesday.
Patek said on Independence Day that he received a five-month commutation of his sentence for good manners and will be free to walk from Poron Prison in East Java this month if released on parole. It's possible, state chief Zaeroji said. Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
Zaeroji, who goes by a single name, said Patek has the same rights as other inmates and meets the legal requirements to receive a reduced sentence. During his time there, he was very well-behaved, regretting his radical past that caused harm to society and the country, and also vowed to be a good citizen. Arrested in , he was tried in Indonesia and convicted in 2012. Initially he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.
A decision by Jakarta's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights is still pending, said Zaeroji, who could remain in prison until 2029 if parole is denied.
Patek was one of several men implicated in the attack, which was carried out by the Southeast Asian militant group Al Qaeda. Most of those killed in the bombing were foreign tourists.
Another co-conspirator, Ali Imron, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year, although his real name is Arif Sunarso. , a third militant known as Zulkarnaen, Alice Sumarsono, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being arrested in 2020 after 18 years on the run.
Bombing Survival Investigator Eric de Hart said there was little the Australian government could do about commuting Patek's sentence, he told Seven's Sunrise that time had passed. Given all the financial aid they have provided to Indonesia over the years, it seems they continue to rub our noses, along with the disasters they have experienced," de Hart said.
