JAKARTA: Indonesia is set to release about 30,000 prisoners early as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to avoid a possible surge in coronavirus infections in its overcrowded prisons.
A document issued by the law and human rights ministry reviewed by Reuters stipulated that adult prisoners would be eligible for parole if they had served two-thirds of their sentences, while children would be eligible if they served half of their jail term.
Ministry spokesman Bambang Wiyono said on Tuesday the parole would encompass around 30,000 prisoners.
Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation and President Joko Widodo on Tuesday declared a national public health emergency in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak. So far, the government has reported 1,414 infections and 122 deaths from the virus, but some officials and experts believe a lack of testing has masked the scale of the outbreak.
Official data shows there are 270,386 prisoners across Indonesia, more than twice the official capacity of its jails, as a war on drugs has led to a surge in the number of people locked up. Many centers also lack proper sanitation, which makes inmates particularly vulnerable to the spread of diseases.
Erasmus Napitupulu, executive director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR), welcomed the parole, but urged the government to widen it to include more prisoners.
Other countries including Iran and the United States have also released prisoners early in a bid to stem the accelerating spread of coronavirus in jails.
Widodo has said he would impose stricter rules on mobility and social distancing as a study presented to the government warned that more than 140,000 people could die from the coronavirus by May unless it takes tougher action.
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Indonesia to release 30,000 prisoners early amid coronavirus concerns
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Indonesia to release 30,000 prisoners early amid coronavirus concerns
- Adult prisoners would be eligible for parole if they had served two-thirds of their sentences
- Children would be eligible if they served half of their jail term
Explosion in downtown Kabul kills at least 7
KABUL, Afghanistan: An explosion in downtown Kabul on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded about a dozen more, according to an Italian medical charity running a surgical care facility in the city. The reasons for the blast were not immediately clear.
The explosion appeared to have hit a restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district of the Afghan capital. In the first few minutes after the blast, a police spokesman, Khalid Zadran, had identified the facility affected as a hotel.
The Italian NGO, EMERGENCY, said its surgical center in Kabul had received 20 people from the blast, including seven who were already dead when they arrived. It noted the number of casualties was “still provisional.”
Those injured included four women and a child, the organization’s Country Director in Afghanistan, Dejan Panic, said.
“The wounded, some of whom are being assessed for surgery, have suffered lacerations and bruises,” he added.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the blast had caused both deaths and injuries but did not have any details on the numbers.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said two Chinese people had been seriously injured and a security guard had been killed in the blast, which it said had occurred at a restaurant.
Footage aired by local television station Tolo News and filmed through a car windscreen showed people in the street with smoke and dust billowing behind them.
The explosion appeared to have hit a restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district of the Afghan capital. In the first few minutes after the blast, a police spokesman, Khalid Zadran, had identified the facility affected as a hotel.
The Italian NGO, EMERGENCY, said its surgical center in Kabul had received 20 people from the blast, including seven who were already dead when they arrived. It noted the number of casualties was “still provisional.”
Those injured included four women and a child, the organization’s Country Director in Afghanistan, Dejan Panic, said.
“The wounded, some of whom are being assessed for surgery, have suffered lacerations and bruises,” he added.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the blast had caused both deaths and injuries but did not have any details on the numbers.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said two Chinese people had been seriously injured and a security guard had been killed in the blast, which it said had occurred at a restaurant.
Footage aired by local television station Tolo News and filmed through a car windscreen showed people in the street with smoke and dust billowing behind them.
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