Indonesia begins releasing hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia began releasing hundreds of inmates from its notoriously overcrowded prisons Friday after parliament approved the first stage of a wide-ranging clemency plan by President Prabowo Subianto aimed at building national solidarity.

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas made the announcement late Thursday after a consultation between the government and party factions in the legislature.

Subianto surprised the nation barely two months after he took office in October by saying he planned to grant clemency to some 44,000 inmates nationwide — most of them imprisoned for political reasons — as a way to help unify the country.

Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used their amnesty powers, which require the approval of parliament.

The first group of 1,178 began leaving prisons Friday, after Subianto signed a Presidential Decree on the clemency. It includes prominent rivals of former President Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, as well as six Papuan independence activists serving prison sentences for treason as the government considers their movement unarmed.

Analysts have cautiously welcomed Subianto’s sweeping plan, which could see the release of thousands of inmates as Agtas said it would prioritize political prisoners and inmates with mental and chronic health illnesses, older people, juveniles and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country’s leader.

Among the prisoners set to be released are several prominent opposition figures, including Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary general of the country’s only formal opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Kristiyanto, a former Widodo ally who later became a harsh critic, was released Friday evening from his cell at the anti-Corruption Commission’s detention center in South Jakarta where he had been jailed since February.

He was sentenced last week to 3 1/2 years in prison for bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme.

“We must learn from this incident because we want justice to be served fairly,” Kristiyanto told a cheering crowd after his release. “I will never stop loving this country, no matter what happens.”

Agtas said parliament also approved an end to criminal proceedings against former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, a onetime Widodo ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan. Lembong was accused of abusing his authority as minister and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He had been preparing to appeal before Subianto proposed him for clemency.

“Both (Kristiyanto and Lembong) have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,” Agtas said.

Agtas revised the initial number of prisoners to be released in the first phase to 1,178 from a previous estimate of 1,116, after his ministry recalculated its data. Authorities are expected to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates to parliament in the near future, he added.

Dozens of excited supporters, including Baswedan, flocked to Cipinang Prison in eastern Jakarta where Lembong is serving his sentence since October, to welcome his release with cheers and tears.

“I don’t want my freedom today to be the end of the story; I want it to be the beginning of sharing responsibility,” Lembong said in his speech shortly after being released.

“I want to speak out, raise awareness, and, if possible, help make our legal system fairer, clearer, and more aligned with truth rather than narrow interests. I also want to let everyone know that I return with a strong spirit, not a broken heart," Lembong said.

One of his supporters, Iwan Roberto, said by granting Lembong abolition (of legal proceedings), "It means that President Prabowo wants to create political stability,”

Azmi Syahputra, a state law analyst from Trisakti University, urged Subianto to explain his decision in granting amnesty and the abolition of proceedings, especially for Lembong and Kristiyanto, who are high-profile politicians convicted in graft cases that he said cannot be forgiven by most Indonesian people.

“Amnesty and abolition are absolute powers held by the president, but people are owed an explanation,” Syahputra said. “Failure to fully explain the reasons will raise questions in the public sphere that could have widespread negative consequences if not addressed comprehensively.”

The move could be interpreted by the public as a political agreement between the executive and legislative branches to relieve criminal liability rather than improve law enforcement, he said.

“This measure is used to free high-profile figures from a sentence currently being served for certain political interests,” Syahputra said.

A political analyst from Diponegoro University, Mohamad Rosyidin, viewed the clemency plan in the context of rights groups' criticism of Subianto, a former general with ties to the country’s dictatorial past who is linked to alleged human rights abuses.

“President Prabowo’s amnesty plan could be a step to dispel these perceptions and portray him as pro-democracy and a defender of human rights,” Rosyidin said.

Since taking office in October, Subianto's administration has moved to repatriate several high-profile foreign inmates, all sentenced to death or life in prison for drug offenses, back to their home countries.

Serge Atlaoui, an ailing Frenchman, returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed to repatriate him on “humanitarian grounds.”

Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines in December. In the same month, the government sent to Australia the five remaining members of a drug ring known as the “Bali Nine.”

A woman supporter wearing t-shirt with a photograph of Indonesia's former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison stands in front of the gate of Cipinang prison in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 as the country prepares to release hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of Indonesia's former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison gather in front of the gate of Cipinang prison in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 as the country prepares to release hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of Indonesia's former Trade Minister Tom Lembong, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison gather in front of the gate of Cipinang prison in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 as the country prepares to release hundreds of prisoners under president's clemency plan. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto waves to journalists at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Carlos Alcaraz knows what matters the most to him in 2026 and isn't shy about telling the world: He wants to win the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

That would make him the ninth man in tennis history with at least one singles championship from each of the sport's four most prestigious tournaments — and, at 22 years and just under 9 months old at the event's conclusion, the youngest.

“It’s going to be my first tournament of the season, and it’s really the main goal for me," Alcaraz told The Associated Press. "I'm going to do the preseason just focused for the Australian Open — to be in really good shape for the Australian Open, physically, mentally, tennis-wise. Everything.”

When play begins on the hard courts of Melbourne Park on Sunday (Saturday night EST), Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, who is 24, both will be chasing the one major trophy missing from their collections.

He owns a total of six so far: two apiece from the red clay of the French Open, the grass of Wimbledon and the hard courts of the U.S. Open. So does she: four from the French Open and one each from Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

“Players who have been able to complete the four of them ... adapt in different situations, different surfaces, different atmospheres,” Alcaraz said. “And that’s what a real champion does: adapting themselves wherever they play. Different cities, stadiums, in front of different crowds. That makes a real champion. That’s why I’m really looking forward to doing it.”

The youngest man with a career Slam was Don Budge, who was two days from turning 23 when he won the 1938 French Open as part of a calendar-year Slam. Maureen Connolly has the overall mark: She was 18 when she completed her full set at the 1953 French Open, one of 10 women to win all four majors.

Swiatek has come closer than Alcaraz in Australia, getting to the semifinals twice. Alcaraz has been as far as the quarterfinals, including losing to 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in 2025.

Currently No. 2 behind Aryna Sabalenka — who is a two-time Australian Open winner and was last year's runner-up to Madison Keys — Swiatek was asked which would mean more to her: winning in Melbourne or returning to the top of the rankings.

“I don’t need to choose which one is more important, which one is a priority. I’m still young. I have plenty of time to do different things and achieve different goals in my career,” came the reply. “I really don’t need to put that pressure on myself to do something in the next two weeks.”

Alcaraz, who recently split from longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, is ranked No. 1 but won't be the favorite over the coming 15 days. That's his rival, No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who won the past two Australian Opens and appeared in the last five Slam finals overall.

He won the U.S. Open in 2024 and Wimbledon in 2025, meaning the 24-year-old Sinner enters 2026 on the verge of a career Slam, too.

“We are players who are pretty complete, I’d say,” Sinner said about himself and Alcaraz. “We can change the way we play.”

No matter when a career Grand Slam arrives — at age 21 for Serena Williams, for example, or 29 for Djokovic — it is significant and truly sets tennis players apart.

“They’re obviously already so successful, they’re kind of trying to check off the boxes of even more big accomplishments. That’s a huge milestone," said Taylor Fritz, the 2024 runner-up to Sinner in New York. “At such a young age for all of them, it's even more impressive."

Sinner's missing piece? Roland-Garros, where he lost last year's final to Alcaraz after holding a trio of championship points.

“It’s definitely a motivation,” Sinner told the AP. “We will push a lot to be ready to perform my best at every tournament and be ready for the most important matches. That’s what I want.”

As serious as Alcaraz is about getting the job done in Melbourne, he also can joke about it.

“I would trade Australia for Roland-Garros with Jannik,” Alcaraz said with a hearty laugh. “I would trade that, to be honest.”

FILE - Jannik Sinner of Italy waves as he carries the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file)

FILE - Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles quarter final match against Liudmilla Samsonova of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

FILE - Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, kisses the championship trophy after defeating Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)