French national Serge Atlaoui 'not a drug user, not a trafficker, not a drug baron': French Ambassador

Serge Atlaoui: "Not a drug user, not a trafficker"

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - French Ambassador Corinne Breuze said the death sentence and a threat of execution of a Frenchman in Indonesia has been received as a disturbing news in France.

"The report is greatly disturbing for the French people as since 1981, no French citizen has been punished with death either in France or abroad," Breuze told a news conference at the French embassy here on Thursday.

Therefore, all people of France including its government gave support to the family of Serge Atlaoui, the Frenchman, who was given a death penalty for cases of ecstasy factory.

"Serge Atlaoui is not a user, a dealer or the owner of the drug factory. We hope the law authorities give a serious attention to his bid for a review (PK) of the sentence and could give a fair decision," the ambassador said.

Meanwhile PK on the case of Atlaoui has been submitted to the Tangerang District Court on February 10, 2015 and the court would hold a session on the PK request on 11 March, 2015.

Atlaoui's team of lawyers led by Nancy Yuliana said the court of justice could have erred in making the decision in earlier court sessions.

Serge Atlaoui was given the death penalty by the Supreme Court in 2007.

Earlier the district court of Tangerang declared Atlaoui was involved in the operation of Asia's largest ecstasy factory located in Cikande, regency of Serang, Banten.

The District Court in 2006 gave him a life sentence and the sentence was confirmed by the Banten high court in 2007, but the Supreme Court gave him the death penalty.

Atlaoui is one of the convicts to face the firing squad after their appeals for clemency were rejected by President Joko Widodo.

The attorney general office said 11 convicts including 8 drug convicts and three pre-medidated murders would be the next to be executed.

The 8 drug convicts are Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from Australia, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso from the Philippines, Martin Anderson from Ghana, Raheem Agbaje Salami from Spain, Rodrigo Gularte from Brazil and Zainal Abidin from Indonesia.

The thee murder convicts are Syfial Iyen bin Azwar, Harun bin Ajis and Sargawi alias Ali bin Sanusi -- all Indonesians.

Last month six other drug convicts were executed drawing strong protest from a number of countries.

Among the strongest protesting countries are Brazil, Australia and the Netherlands.

The Brazilian government rejected credentials of new Indonesian ambassador and Indonesian reacted by ordering the ambassador to return home.

Australia reminded Indonesia of its humanitarian aid for Aceh tsunami in 2004 in bid to safe the life of the two Australian to face the execution.

The Netherlands recalled its ambassador.

Indonesia, however, remains adamant and President Joko Widodo has said he would not give clemency for drug convicts.

Source: AntaraNews, February 26, 2015

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