News of Bali bomb-maker's sentence cut short sparks fury
The bomb-maker behind the devastating 2002 Bali bombings has been released early from Indonesian prison only days after his sentence was reduced by a further five months.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared this decision will add trauma to the victims’ families and says his diplomats are lobbying the Indonesian government regarding the reduction.
This decision means that Umar Patek, the man who made the explosives that killed 200 people, including 88 Aussies in 2002, will have served only half of his original 20-year sentence. Indonesian authorities insist he has been ‘deradicalised’ but Mr Abanese has described him as ‘abhorrent’.
The sentence had already been reduced by 18 months on a previous occasion, meaning his total reduction is now one year and 11 months. He would have been eligible for parole in January 2023 after serving two thirds of his sentence.
Patek admitted making the suicide vests that went off at Sari Club and Paddy's Pub in Kuta but claimed he did not know what they would be used for.
After nine years on the run in the Philippines and Pakistan, he was caught in 2011 and spared the death sentence after co-operating with police and apologising to victims' families.
This coming October marks the 20th anniversary of the bombings.
Images: Australian National Museum / Getty