Indonesia begins releasing hundreds of prisoners under president’s clemency plan

Supporters of Indonesia's former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison gather in front of the gate of Cipinang prison in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 as the country prepares to release hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia began releasing hundreds of inmates from its notoriously overcrowded prisons Friday after parliament approved the first stage of a wide-ranging clemency plan by President Prabowo Subianto aimed at building national solidarity.

Indonesian House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas made the announcement late Thursday 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 by saying he planned to grant clemency to some 44,000 inmates nationwide — most of them imprisoned for political reasons — as a way to help unify the country.

Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used their amnesty powers, which require the approval of parliament.

The first group of 1,178 began leaving prisons Friday, after Subianto signed a Presidential Decree on the clemency. It includes prominent rivals of former President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, as well as six Papuan independence activists serving prison sentences for treason as the government considers their movement unarmed.

Analysts have cautiously welcomed Subianto’s sweeping plan, which could see the release of thousands of inmates as Agtas said it would prioritize political prisoners and inmates with mental and chronic health illnesses, older people, juveniles and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country’s leader.

Among the prisoners 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 later became a harsh critic, was released Friday evening from his cell at the anti-Corruption Commission’s detention center in South Jakarta where he had been jailed since February.

He was sentenced last week to three and a half years in prison for bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme.

“We must learn from this incident because we want justice to be served fairly,” Kristiyanto told a cheering crowd after his release. “I will never stop loving this country, no matter what happens.”

Agtas said parliament also approved an end to criminal proceedings against former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, a onetime Widodo ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan. Lembong was accused of abusing his authority as minister and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He had been preparing to appeal before Subianto proposed him for clemency.

“Both (Kristiyanto and Lembong) have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,” Agtas said.

Agtas revised the initial number of prisoners to be released in the first phase to 1,178 from a previous estimate of 1,116, after his ministry recalculated its data. Authorities are expected to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates to parliament in the near future, he added.

Dozens of excited supporters, including Baswedan, flocked to Cipinang Prison in eastern Jakarta where Lembong is serving his sentence since October, to welcome his release with cheers and tears.

“I don’t want my freedom today to be the end of the story; I want it to be the beginning of sharing responsibility,” Lembong said in his speech shortly after being released.

“I want to speak out, raise awareness, and, if possible, help make our legal system fairer, clearer, and more aligned with truth rather than narrow interests. I also want to let everyone know that I return with a strong spirit, not a broken heart,” Lembong said.

One of his supporters, Iwan Roberto, said by granting Lembong abolition (of legal proceedings), “It means that President Prabowo wants to create political stability,”

Azmi Syahputra, a state law analyst from Trisakti University, urged Subianto to explain his decision in granting amnesty and the abolition of proceedings, especially for Lembong and Kristiyanto, who are high-profile politicians convicted in graft cases that he said cannot be forgiven by most Indonesian people.

“Amnesty and abolition are absolute powers held by the president, but people are owed an explanation,” Syahputra said. “Failure to fully explain the reasons will raise questions in the public sphere that could have widespread negative consequences if not addressed comprehensively.”

The move could be interpreted by the public as a political agreement between the executive and legislative branches to relieve criminal liability rather than improve law enforcement, he said.

“This measure is used to free high-profile figures from a sentence currently being served for certain political interests,” Syahputra said.

A political analyst from Diponegoro University, Mohamad Rosyidin, viewed the clemency plan in the context of rights groups’ criticism of Subianto, a former general with ties to the country’s dictatorial past who is linked to alleged human rights abuses.

“President Prabowo’s amnesty plan could be a step to dispel these perceptions and portray him as pro-democracy and a defender of human rights,” Rosyidin said.

Since taking office in October, Subianto’s administration has moved to repatriate several high-profile foreign inmates, all sentenced to death or life in prison for drug offenses, back to their home countries.

Serge Atlaoui, an ailing Frenchman, returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed to repatriate him on “humanitarian grounds.”

Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines in December. In the same month, the government sent to Australia the five remaining members of a drug ring known as the “Bali Nine.”

Niniek Karmini, The Associated Press