Indonesia Releases 5,556 Inmates to Prevent Outbreak in Prisons
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1 April 2020 17:38 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia released thousands of inmates from jail on Wednesday, April 1. The Minister of Law and Security, Yasonna Laoly, said that as per 11:00 Jakarta time 5,556 inmates were released to prevent Covid19 outbreaks in prisons.
The minister said the decision was based on the Ministry of Law and Human Rights No.10/2020 and the Law and Human Rights Minister's Decree No.19/ 2020 that were issued recently.
Yasonna said that Indonesia's prison system is already at over-capacity, making jail cells a dangerous place prone to massive outbreaks of the new coronavirus.
According to the minister, the recently issued laws will allow the prison system to release 30,000 to 35,000 inmates at least.
He also said that he had ordered his staff members to execute the decision and complete it under a week, "monitored and reported every hour."
Yasonna claims that no prisoner had been infected with the new coronavirus, saying that since the beginning of the pandemic the prison system has implemented tighter health procedures in all correctional facilities.
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