Dhani left the prison complex area at around 9:35 a.m. local time and was picked up by his wife, Mulan Jameela, and his sons: Al, El, and Dul.
Concurrently, his close friends and enthusiasts were also present to welcome his release. Along with his family members and supporters, Dhani got on board an open truck to go home in the elite suburb of Pondok Indah, South Jakarta.
Dhani completed less than a year in jail after the South Jakarta Court found him guilty of a hate speech tweet on his Twitter account.
"Those supporting blasphemy are bastards, who need to be spit on their faces," according to his tweet in March 2017, considered as a hate speech.
The court's panel of judges awarded Dhani a 1.5-year prison term on Jan 28, 2019, but he challenged the verdict by appealing to the Jakarta higher court. The higher court reduced his prison term, from 1.5 years to a year.
On grounds of good behavior, Dhani’s prison term was cut short for a month.
Despite his release from the Cipinang Prison in East Jakarta, he is still obliged to respect the verdict of the East Java Court for another hate speech trial.
The East Java Court's judiciary panel found Dhani guilty after he termed his political rivals "idiot" on his Instagram account.
"Those, who are protesting, defend the ruler. It is funny. These are the idiots protesting against people, who are not in power," according to the video containing Dhani's statement.
He was awarded a six-month probation in connection with the East Java hate speech case.
The Ahmad Dhani cases have drawn public attention, partially due to the fact that he is widely known as a Gerindra politician and candidate legislator of this Prabowo Subianto-led political party for the 2019 parliamentary election.
During his stay at the Medaeng Prison in Sidoarjo District, East Java Province, elites of the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno camp had frequently visited this top musician.
The then Indonesian vice presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno was one of the figures, who had visited him at that time.
Uno visited him in prison on Feb 16, 2019, to express his deepest sympathies to this prominent musician.
Uno expressed grave concern over the fact that Dhani had been jailed in the penitentiary that, during that time, was reeling from the problem of overcapacity.
Related news: Judge awards one-year imprisonment to Ahmad Dhani for defamation
Related news: Judge rejects exception of musician Ahmad Dhani
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Lia WS, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
