New push to reduce life sentences of Bali Nine members Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen
A JAIL boss from Bali’s Kerobokan prison has made a surprising move to help Bali Nine members Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen, who are serving life sentences.
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EXCLUSIVE
A FRESH push is underway to have Bali Nine members Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen’s life sentences slashed to 20 years.
The pair has won the support of their jail governor who is lobbying on their behalf to the Correctional Directorate General of the law and human rights ministry.
Both young men were on hand yesterday at the jail to greet officials and visitors arriving for the annual Independence Day celebrations at the jail.
A series of annual sentence cuts, known as remissions, were announced and while several other Australians, including Byron Bay woman Sara Connor, were among those to have their sentences slashed the Bali Nine duo were not.
In an extraordinary statement of support, Kerobokan jail governor Tonny Nainggolan said both Norman and Chen deserved to have their life sentences reduced and he had twice made applications on their behalf.
“As prison governor, in my opinion, both of them deserve to get remissions to change their sentence,” Mr Nainggolan said.
“Since I have been here for one year and seven months I have proposed for their remission twice, to change the sentence from life to 20 years imprisonment. Last time I sent a proposal was two months ago to the Correctional Directorate General of the law and human rights ministry. It’s still under process. It needs consideration from the Supreme Court, Attorney-General as well as the embassy,” he said.
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Both Norman and Chen were yesterday showcasing the crafts of the prison rehabilitation programs, including screen-printed T-shirts.
Under the Indonesian system, prisoners serving life terms do not qualify for the twice-yearly sentence remissions, one of which is handed out on Independence Day.
Australians to receive remissions yesterday included Byron Bay woman Sara Connor, who is serving a five-year sentence for her role in the killing of a Bali police on a Kuta beach two years ago. Connor was awarded a three-month sentence cut.
The women’s prisoner governor, Setyo Pratiwi, said Connor was spending her jail term engaged in positive activities, including cooking, yoga and handicrafts. She is also active in the jail’s church.
“She is active in many things, cooking in the kitchen, yoga, spiritual activity in the church. She is always spending time on many positive activities. Never spending time only sleeping,” Ms Pratiwi said.
Connor’s British former boyfriend David Taylor, who is serving six years, also had three months slashed from his sentence.
Yesterday marked two years since the bloodied body of police officer Wayan Sudarsa was found on a Kuta beach. His widow, Ketut Arsini, told News Corporation yesterday she could not forgive the pair for what they did.
“It was intentional. I think they intentionally did that so I cannot forgive them,” Ms Arsini said, adding that the family had no other choice but to move on.
Australian Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis, serving a 15-year sentence for paedophile offences against young girls in Bali won a four-month remission, drug trafficker Edward Norman Myatt had five months slashed from his eight-year sentence and Michael Sacatides, serving 18 years got three months off.
Bali Nine heroin courier Renae Lawrence, who is due to be freed within months, did not qualify for a remission because she has already served the duration of her sentence and is currently serving an extra six months in lieu of paying her $100,000 fine.
Lawrence’s 20-year sentence, less the remissions she has earned in the past 13 years, expired in May this year.
Bangli jail governor Diding Alpian yesterday described Lawrence as “remarkable”.
“I appointed her as the leader of the women’s block. She is also active in making crafts, active in sport and has become a patron for the others,” Mr Alpian said.
As part of the remissions across Indonesia a total of 24 terrorist prisoners were freed yesterday and former terror leader Abu Bakar Bashir was given a five-month sentence cut.
The prisoners who were freed were awarded remissions which meant their sentences expired.
Bashir, the former leader of Indonesian terror group Jeemah Islamiyah, which was behind the 2002 Bali bombings, is serving a 15-year sentence for his role in a terror training camp in Aceh.
Now almost 80, the ageing cleric, is due for release in May 2024.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry’s correctional affairs directorate spokesperson, Ade Kusmanto, told News Corporation that a total of 49 convicted terrorists were awarded remissions.
Under changes to the law, terrorist prisoners convicted after 2012 must be “justice collaborators” who provide information to authorities before they can qualify for remissions. And they are not allowed remissions until they have served one-third of their sentence.
Bashir was convicted before this rule was applied.
Originally published as New push to reduce life sentences of Bali Nine members Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen