JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS – The Indonesian government is currently considering the release of Encep Nurjaman, also known as Riduan Isamuddin or Hambali, a former senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, from the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

This development was confirmed by Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, who discussed the matter in Jakarta on January 17, 2025.

Hambali is notorious for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings, which resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, mostly foreign nationals. He was a key figure in Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian extremist group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Hambali had been on the run for years before being captured in Thailand in 2003, following his arrest by Pakistani authorities. He was subsequently transferred to the United States and detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Yusril expressed that the Indonesian government is particularly concerned about the fate of its citizens held overseas, including Hambali.

“We are focused on a citizen of Indonesia who is still in Guantanamo. Hambali, who was involved in the Bali bombings, is a case we are keeping an eye on,” he said, emphasizing the government’s responsibility to ensure the welfare of its citizens, no matter the severity of their offenses.

The minister added that while Hambali’s crimes are grave, the Indonesian government feels a duty to assist its citizens in foreign prisons. He noted that many people in Indonesia may not even be aware that Hambali has been detained at Guantanamo for more than two decades. Despite his controversial past, Yusril stressed that the government must act in the interests of justice and the well-being of its nationals.