Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - A law official said on Friday that an Indonesian man who has been in jail for his part in the 2002 Bali ...
 |
| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - A law official said on Friday that an Indonesian man who has been in jail for his part in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed hundreds of people could be released on parole in the next few days after his sentence was cut again.
Umar Patek was a member of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, which has ties to Al Qaeda. In 2012, an Indonesian court found him guilty of making the bombs that killed 202 people in two Bali nightclubs a decade before.
Patek was also convicted in 2000 for his part in bombings that killed people in churches. On August 17, Indonesia's independence day, he was given a five-month break from his sentence.
Zaeroji, the head of the law and human rights office in East Java, where Patek is in jail, told Reuters that the bomber was now eligible for parole this month because he had served two-thirds of his sentence after a series of reductions.
He said that the matter had been sent to the central government for approval.
"We told the ministry of justice and human rights about this, and they will decide," said Zaeroji, who only goes by one name.
Reuters asked the ministry of justice and human rights for a comment, but they did not answer.
Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said that Patek's release would be terrible for the families of the people he killed.
Albanese told reporters in Queensland, "We lost 88 Australians in that terrorist attack, and it was a horrible attack."
"They have a system where people's sentences are often cut short or changed when it's their anniversary. But when it comes to someone who has done such a terrible thing, like making and designing a bomb to kill and hurt people, we have a very strong opinion "he said.
Albanese said that his government will talk to Indonesia about the case in a diplomatic way.
Patek had been on the run for nine years, and there was a $1 million reward on his head when he was finally caught in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. This is the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed a few months after Patek was caught.
Hambali, who is also known as Encep Nurjaman, is being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba while he waits for his trial. He has been there since 2006.
