A survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings says the decision to cut the sentence of the bombmaker responsible for the terror attack was a "kick in the guts" for the families of victims.
Perth man Brad McIlroy was just 19 and in Kuta on an end-of-season trip with the Kingsley Football Club when the bombings happened and seven of his mates were killed.
Mr McIlroy said the families of those killed were already preparing themselves for the emotional turmoil of the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the bombings, and the news that Umar Patek would be released early had exacerbated their distress.
"It [the anniversary] really knocks them around quite a bit, and so to have this thrown in as well – it's a real kick in the guts," he said.
Sentence cut by five months
Umar Patek was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in 2012 for his role in the bombings that killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians.
Prisoners in Indonesia are often granted reductions to their sentence on Indonesia's Independence Day on August 17.
Patek was granted a five-month reduction, which could mean he would be freed on parole later this month.
However, the ABC was told by Indonesian officials that terrorists are not usually eligible for parole, and no decision has been made on whether he will be released.
Any request would have to go to the relevant minister for approval.
If refused, the ABC was told Patek could remain in jail until 2029.
Survivors angry
Mr McIlroy said he had spoken with several of his Kingsley football mates who were in Bali with him at the time of the attacks.
"Everyone's sort of on their own journeys with dealing with this sort of stuff, and there's a fair bit of anger," he said.
"Obviously we're only a couple of months away from the 20th anniversary, so the timing's probably a little insensitive."
He said in recent years he had tried to distance himself from the judicial processes of those responsible for the attacks, for the sake of his mental health.
"I was following it really closely for a long time, but the only person who gets upset when you follow it that closely and have been affected that much by it is yourself, so I've given it a fair bit of distance," he said.
The former captain of the Kingsley Football Club, Phil Britten, was at the Sari Club with his teammates when the bomb exploded.
He told ABC Radio Perth that the news of the bombmaker's release had left him reeling.
"Late last night I heard the news, and I was definitely disappointed, appalled, to be honest," he said.
"This situation that we're facing – yes we're reflecting on the 20 years of that terrible night, 20 years ago, but now we have to I guess deal with emotions of this guy getting out as well."
Antony Svilicich returned to Perth with burns to 60 per cent of his body and was the last West Australian survivor to be released from hospital after the attack.
He said he could not believe the news of Patek's shortened sentence.
"I can't see how you can be deradicalised after spending just 10 years in jail," he said.
"Once you're a terrorist, you can't change and this guy should have been spending 40 years in jail for what he's done."
He said the timing of the court's decision was insensitive, calling the order a "joke."
"They could have done this six months ago, they could have done it in six months' time.
"They've decided to do it six weeks before the 20th anniversary, it's just rubbing salt into the wounds of all the survivors and all the people who were affected by this tragedy."
Albanese flags talks with Indonesia
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he learned of the decision to reduce Patek's sentence overnight.
"We have been advised that there has been a further reduction in the sentence for this person of some five months," he said.
"And that of course will add to the distress that Australians are feeling."
Patek was also found guilty of weapons and conspiracy charges over a terrorist training camp in Aceh in 2009, and for mixing explosives for a series of Christmas Eve attacks on churches in 2000.
Mr Albanese confirmed the government would make diplomatic contact with Indonesia over the decision.
"We will certainly be making diplomatic representations on these issues, as well as on issues that we continue to raise about Australians that are currently in Indonesian jails, in Australia's national interest," he told Channel 7.
"My thoughts this morning are with the families of the victims of the Bali bombings."
The federal opposition is urging the government to lobby Indonesia against any early release.
Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham told Sky that families of the victims expected Patek's sentence to be served through to 2029.
"There is no early release for those families from the pain and suffering that they continue to endure," he said.
"And it's not at all unreasonable to expect on behalf of them, on behalf of all Australians who are outraged and all of those around the world who felt the pain and the outrage from the Bali bombings nearly 20 years ago, that those who were tried, convicted and sentenced should serve their full sentences.
"The Albanese government should be making strong representations to Indonesia, urging that that be the case."
The 20th anniversary of the bombings is less than two months away, with commemorations planned around Australia.
