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SYDNEY: The families of 88 Australians killed in the 2002 Bali bombing will be distressed by the early release from prison on Friday (Jan 8) of the Indonesian Muslim cleric suspected of being the mastermind behind the attack, Australian Prime Minister said Scott Morrison.
Abu Bakar Bashir was released from prison after serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence for establishing a training camp for militants.
Indonesian police and Western intelligence agencies say Bashir was linked to the Bali attack, which killed 202 people, but was never convicted of direct responsibility and denied those links.
“It’s still raw. All these years later. Still very raw,” Morrison said, adding that Bashir’s release was distressing for the families of the victims and cautioned that he must be closely monitored.
The 82-year-old cleric was placed in the care of his family in Central Java and will undergo an anti-terrorist de-radicalization program.
Australia has always called on those involved in the Bali attack to face harsher, more proportionate and fair sentences, Morrison said, adding that decisions on sentencing were, however, matters of the Indonesian justice system and should be respected.
“We have made clear through our embassy in Jakarta our concerns that these people will be prevented from further inciting others,” he said.
Radical Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (center) arrives in court to attend an appeal hearing in Cilacap, Central Java province, on January 12, 2016 (Photo: REUTERS / Darren Whiteside / Archives).
For members of the Sydney Coogee Dolphins amateur rugby club, which lost its president and five members in the Bali attack, Bashir’s release will be difficult, spokesman Albert Talarico told Reuters.
“Some will never forgive, there will be others who will just get mad today,” said Talarico, who became club president in 2003 and 2004 after president Clint Thompson was assassinated.
“Others will remain silent because they do not want the old wounds to reopen.”
Phil Britten, who suffered severe burns to 40 percent of his body, worries that Bashir will “go back into society and do what he’s always done” will radicalize others.
“Over the years, you have to learn to let go and let people deal with these matters,” Britten told the Australian Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
READ: Australia Says Indonesia Must Ensure Clergyman Is Not A Threat After Release
“If I waste my time, anger and emotions on things that I cannot change, I am not living the best life for my family.”
Bashir is considered the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a militant network with ties to Al Qaeda.
Zulkarnaen, a man believed to be one of JI’s top members and who was involved in making the bombs for the Bali attacks, was arrested in Indonesia last month.
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