After Mary Jane and Bali Nine, Indonesia Plans to Repatriate Inmate Serge Areski Atlaoui to France
JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, confirmed that the French government has submitted a request for the transfer of prisoner for death row convict Serge Areski Atlaoui.
Yusril said that the French government had filed its request some time ago. “‘E une demande le transferement vers le France de M Serge Atlaoui’ they told me,” Yusril told Tempo when contacted on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. ‘Request for the transfer of Mr. Serge Atlaoui to France’ is the translated excerpt of the French government’s request to Indonesia.
Former State Secretary during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration explained that the policy of transferring prisoners for French nationals is similar to the agreement for Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso. “The terms we offer to the Philippines and Australia are applied similarly to French nationals,” said Yusril.
Serge Areski Atlaoui is a French national who was arrested at a drug factory in Cikande, Tangerang, back in 2005. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Tangerang District Court and upheld by the High Court.
However, Atlaoui’s cassation attempt to the Supreme Court was rejected, and Atlaoui was instead sentenced to death. His clemency appeal was also rejected by President Joko Widodo in December 2014. Atlaoui’s execution was postponed at the end of April 2015, after he sued President Joko Widodo due to the rejection of his clemency.
Prior to this, Yusril mentioned that three countries had submitted requests for the transfer of prisoners for their nationals.
Yusril emphasized that this policy is not only granted to death row convicts from the Philippines, Mary Jane Veloso. “Not specific to Mary Jane. So these are three countries requesting it, the Philippines, Australia, and France,” said Yusril to Tempo over the phone on Thursday, November 21, 2024. With Australia, the government plans to repatriate a drug convict known as Bali Nine.
Aside from the Philippine Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla who has already submitted a transfer request for Mary Jane, the French Justice Minister has also sent a letter to request the same for their national.
Meanwhile, the Australian Prime Minister discussed this matter with President Prabowo Subianto at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Peru some time ago. “We proceed with the same mechanism, which is called transfer of prisoners,” said Yusril.
He also explained that the transfer of prisoner policy is different from exchange of prisoner. In prisoner transfer policies, the government returns a convict to their home country to serve the remaining sentence according to court decisions. “In exchange, what is called exchange of prisoners, is exchanging convicts,” said Yusril.
Yusril emphasized that this agreement is reciprocal. “It means that if Indonesia later requests an Indonesian convict sentenced in their country, they must also consider sending or transferring that convict to Indonesia,” said Yusril.
This diplomatic step is considered to provide good reciprocity for the country. “There is some kind of honorary reciprocal, so this is fair to all parties,” said Yusril.
Source: en.tempo.co
