Indonesia to consider cutting jail terms of JI ex-members who back its dissolution

Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency has proposed cutting the prison terms of former Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members who have declared support for the group's dissolution, in a bid to get more militants to surrender to the authorities.

- Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja and Hariz Baharudin

SURAKARTA -

National Counterterrorism Agency chief Eddy Hartono said it plans to recommend sentence reductions for more than 180 individuals to the immigration and penitentiary ministry, though he did not specify a timeline.

"We appeal to all ex-JI members to become role models and live as citizens who respect religious tolerance," said Commissioner-General Eddy on Dec 21.

He was speaking at an event in Surakarta, or Solo, where some 8,000 former JI members renounced their extremist beliefs.

Formed in 1993, JI was the Southeast Asian affiliate of Islamist militant organisation Al-Qaeda and was behind deadly attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings.

In his speech, Mr Eddy singled out two former senior JI leaders, Abu Rusdan and Para Wijayanto, who played key roles in convincing other members to support the disbanding of the group. He said the two men, who are currently serving time, will receive special attention when they file for parole.

Under Indonesian law, eligible inmates may get parole if they have completed two-thirds of their sentence.

Wijayanto and Rusdan have been on a nationwide tour speaking via videoconferencing from their prison cells, with the help of Indonesia's national police counter-terrorism squad Detachment 88.