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Australians angered by release of Bali bomb maker

A survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings on Thursday said it was "laughable" to see one of the bomb makers released from an Indonesian prison after serving half his 20-year sentence.

Agence France-Presse (The Jakarta Post)

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Sydney, Australia

Fri, December 9, 2022 Published on Dec. 8, 2022 Published on 2022-12-08T19:35:01+07:00

A

survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings on Thursday said it was "laughable" to see one of the bomb makers released from an Indonesian prison after serving half his 20-year sentence.

Umar Patek was a member of an Al Qaeda-linked group that detonated two bombs outside a Bali bar and nightclub in October 2002, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Patek was released on parole on Wednesday, Indonesian authorities confirmed, despite repeated pleas from the Australian government to keep him behind bars.

Australian attack survivor Peter Hughes, who spoke at Patek's trial in 2012, said the convicted extremist deserved to serve the "harshest sentence."

"For him to be let out, it's laughable," he told Australian national broadcaster ABC.

Indonesian authorities said they believed Patek had rehabilitated himself inside prison after completing a deradicalisation program.

Patek has said he wants to devote himself to the deradicalisation of other inmates.