17 Prisoners Receive Sentence Cuts on Lunar New Year
Jakarta. The Indonesian government has reduced the prison sentences of 17 inmates who adhere to the Confucian belief by between 15 and 45 days as part of Lunar New Year celebrations, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights said in a statement on Friday (16/02).
Five of the affected inmates are imprisoned in West Kalimantan, two in Jakarta, two in Bangka Belitung and the remainder in North Sumatra, Riau Islands, West Java, Central Java and Bali.
"Thirteen convicts got one month, three others received 15 days, and one received one month and 15 days in sentence reductions," said Sri Puguh Budi Utami, acting director of penitentiaries at the Justice Ministry.
Only 60 of the country's 235,114 prisoners are adherents to Confucianism.
Indonesia traditionally grants sentence remissions to coincide with major celebrations of the six officially recognized religions, including Confucianism, and on Independence Day.
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