Family Request And COVID-19 Are Reasons For Prisons To Advance Schedule For The Release Of Abu Bakar Ba'syir

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (BETWEEN)

JAKARTA - Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Section of the Directorate General of Corrections at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Rika Aprianti, said that his party is deliberately advancing the schedule for the release of a former terrorist convict, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

One of the considerations is to avoid mass crowds.

"The consideration is we avoid crowds in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as requests from families through lawyers to come out early to avoid crowds," he explained as quoted by Antara at Gunung Sindur Prison, Bogor Regency, West Java, Friday, January 8.

Ba'asyir left the prison area after the dawn prayer at around 05.21 WIB. This schedule is faster than the prison schedule, namely during working hours.

"Once again we are fighting the pandemic together. Mr. Ba'asyir is already an elderly person, the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 is very large," he explained.

Aprianti said that the return agenda applies standard health protocols. Ba'asyir first underwent a negative antigen rapid test. The families who pick them up are also asked for a swab test result letter.

"At the time of his release (Abu Bakar Ba'asyir) his luggage was happy and in good health, but before he was released, he was checked and placed under tension. Alhamdulillah he was in good health," said Aprianti.

Meanwhile, Ba'asyir's son, Abdul Rahim Ba'asyir, admitted that he really wanted to implement the COVID-19 health protocol on his father's release agenda, given that he is more than 80 years old.

"From the family side, the lodge also announced to the public not to come together in a crowd especially this is a pandemic situation. So we do not want to make a crowd, right from the start we have voiced it so that there are no crowds," he explained when contacted by Antara on his way back to his residence in Ngruki, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java.