Indonesia reduced the sentences of more than 9,000 Christian prisoners on Christmas Day, according to reports.
According to Jakarta Post, Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights Ministry cut down the sentences of 9,333 Christian prisoners.
“Of the total, 175 inmates were freed upon receiving remissions,” a Law and Human Rights Ministry official told reporters.
The changes in sentences came because of administration considerations and consideration for the type of crimes jailed for.
“If an embezzler wants a remission, for instance, they must first obtain justice collaborator status,” the official said.
The length of sentence reduction received depended on how much time had already been served. Reductions varied from 15 days to a maximum of two months, with the month-long reduction mostly given to prisoners who had already served from one to three years.
One of the Christians whose sentence was reduced was former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who was sentenced to two years in prison after he was falsely accused of blasphemy in 2016.
The former governor was used in an edited Facebook video that showed him allegedly blaspheming the Quran, although Purnama had really issued a warning against politicians who used the Quran for political advancement.
The video led to protests of Purnama and a call for punishment.
A man named Buni Yani admitted to editing the video and was convicted. Meanwhile, Purnama was sentenced to jail.
His two-year sentence was reduced by 15 days.
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Publication date: December 29, 2017
