Indonesian President Prabowo pardons political opponents
Prabowo granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of parliament's largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said late on Thursday in a news conference broadcast by local media, after meeting the House's deputy speaker.
Hasto was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison last week for bribing an election official but the amnesty revokes his sentence though his conviction will still stand.
The president also granted an abolition for Thomas Trikasih Lembong, a trade minister under President Joko Widodo who was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for improperly granting sugar import permits, Supratman said in the news conference.
The abolition means, Lembong, who was the campaign manager of Prabowo's rival candidate in last year's presidential election, is acquitted of the charges and his sentence.
Prabowo granted the clemencies as the government sees the need to unite all political elements and as part of Indonesia's independence celebrations in August, said Supratman.
"We need to build this nation together, with all the political elements ... And both have contributed to the republic," Supratman said.
It is common for the Indonesian president to give pardons ahead of the national independence day on August 17. The amnesty for Hasto was among the pardons given to more than 1,100 other people, Supratman added.
Lawyers for Hasto and Lembong did not immediately respond for Reuters' request for comments.
Under Indonesian law, the president has the authority to give amnesty and abolition but it requires approval from the parliament, said Bivitri Susanti from Indonesia's Jentera School of Law.
Still, she said the amnesty given to Hasto was rather "political" to gain support from the largest opposition party in the parliament while for Lembong, the government is responding to growing protests from the public over his sentence.
Other observers were concerned the pardons undercut efforts by the judiciary to deal with corruption in a country where concerns about graft and government misconduct are high.
"It shows that the government could intervene in law enforcement, make it as a political bargain," said Muhammad Isnur from rights group Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Colombia ex-president Uribe gets 12-year house arrest, plans appeal
BOGOTA: Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest on Friday for abuse of process and bribing a public official. The ruling stems from a long-running case involving alleged ties to right-wing paramilitary groups. Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia delivered the verdict, which also includes a $578,000 fine and an eight-year ban from public office. Uribe, who denies the charges, will appeal the decision. His legal team confirmed he must report to authorities in Rionegro, Antioquia, before serving his sentence at home. The conviction marks a historic moment as Uribe becomes Colombia's first ex-president found guilty at trial. The ruling comes less than a year before the 2026 presidential election, where several of his allies are contenders. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, criticized the verdict, calling it a 'weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch.' Analysts warn the case could strain U.S.-Colombia relations, possibly affecting aid. Uribe, 73, maintains the trial is politically motivated. 'In my condition as a convict, I respectfully request an appeal,' he said during the virtual hearing. His defense argues the case aims to silence democratic opposition. The charges relate to claims Uribe bribed witnesses to discredit allegations of paramilitary links. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda gathered testimonies from ex-paramilitaries accusing Uribe of supporting their groups. The Supreme Court later ruled Uribe's team pressured witnesses, not Cepeda. Two jailed paramilitaries testified that Uribe's former lawyer, Diego Cadena, offered bribes for favorable testimony. Cadena denies the accusations. Uribe, president from 2002 to 2010, previously faced house arrest in 2020. His Democratic Center party remains influential. Despite his conviction, he highlights his record of extraditing paramilitary leaders to the U.S. Colombia's truth commission links paramilitary groups to over 205,000 deaths during the civil conflict. Uribe joins other Latin American leaders convicted of crimes, including Peru's Alberto Fujimori and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. - Reuters
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Trump fires US labor official over data
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: President Donald Trump dismissed a senior Labor Department official on Friday, accusing her of manipulating jobs data without evidence. The move intensified worries about the reliability of federal economic reports. In a separate development, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler unexpectedly announced her resignation, offering Trump an earlier-than-expected opportunity to reshape the central bank's leadership. The twin announcements rattled markets, with the S&P 500 dropping 1.6%, its steepest fall in over two months. Trump targeted Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, claiming she falsified employment figures. No proof supports his allegations against the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which produces key economic indicators like jobs and inflation data. A BLS representative declined to comment. The July jobs report showed only 73,000 new positions, with downward revisions erasing 258,000 previously reported jobs for May and June. 'We need accurate Jobs Numbers,' Trump posted on Truth Social, ordering McEntarfer's immediate replacement. A Trump administration official, speaking anonymously, cited dissatisfaction with recent data revisions and declining survey response rates. The BLS has scaled back data collection for inflation metrics due to resource constraints. Response rates for employment surveys fell from 80.3% in 2020 to 67.1% last month. A Reuters poll revealed 89 of 100 policy experts worry about U.S. data quality, with many criticizing the lack of urgency in addressing issues. Reduced BLS staffing has also narrowed the scope of Consumer Price Index reporting, a critical inflation measure. 'Politicizing economic statistics is a self-defeating act,' warned Michael Madowitz of the Roosevelt Institute. 'Credibility is far easier to lose than rebuild.' Meanwhile, Kugler's departure lets Trump appoint a Fed governor ahead of schedule. The president has repeatedly clashed with Chair Jerome Powell over interest rates. Potential successors include Trump adviser Kevin Hassett and former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh. 'I would not read any political motivation into [Kugler's] decision,' said analyst Derek Tang. 'But she's calling Trump's bluff by handing him a vacancy to fill.' - Reuters
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X says
FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and the X logo are seen in this illustration taken January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's online safety law risks suppressing free speech due to its heavy-handed enforcement, social media site X said on Friday, adding that significant changes were needed. The Online Safety Act, which is being rolled out this year, sets tough new requirements on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X, as well as sites hosting pornography, to protect children and remove illegal content. But it has attracted criticism from politicians, free-speech campaigners and content creators, who have complained that the rules had been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content. Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and more than 468,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the act to be repealed. The government said on Monday it had no plans to do so and it was working with regulator Ofcom to implement the act as quickly as possible. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn it were "on the side of predators". Elon Musk's X, which has implemented age verification, said the law's laudable intentions were at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. "When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'," it said in a statement. "It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made." X said the timetable for meeting mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight, and despite being in compliance, platforms still faced threats of enforcement and fines, encouraging over-censorship. It said a balanced approach was the only way to protect liberty, encourage innovation and safeguard children. "It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK," it said. A UK government spokesperson said it is "demonstrably false" that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. "As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression," the spokesperson said. Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites. (Reporting by Paul SandleEditing by Mark Potter)
