STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Rizieq Shihab, was released from prison on parole on Wednesday, just over a year after being sentenced and earlier than expected, a government official confirmed. The hardline cleric and spiritual figurehead of the now outlawed Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was sentenced to four years in prison in June last year for violating quarantine law and spreading fake news during the pandemic.
Rizieq was found guilty of breaching coronavirus curbs when he held and attended several mass events at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, including his daughter’s wedding. Rika Aprianti, an official at the country’s prisons department, said in a written statement on Wednesday that Rizieq had been detained since December, 2020 and was therefore eligible for parole (Red).
