Indonesia to Transfer Death Row Inmate Serge Atlaoui to France in February

Jakarta. The Indonesian government has agreed to transfer French citizen Serge Areski Atlaoui, who is on death row for a drug conviction, back to his home country on compassionate grounds, a senior official announced on Friday.

Atlaoui, who has been diagnosed with cancer, requested to undergo medical treatment in France. The transfer is scheduled for February 4.

"He is now in poor health and requires serious medical treatment," said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Coordinating Minister for Legal, Immigration, Human Rights, and Correctional Affairs.

Atlaoui was initially sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2005 for his role as a "chemical expert" in a clandestine drug manufacturing operation in Tangerang, near Jakarta.

The French national rejected the allegation, saying he had no knowledge of the factory's illegal activities, and was just installing machinery at the site when he was arrested. A welder by trade, Atlaoui contended that he installed tanks, pumps, distillation equipment in what he genuinely believed was an acrylic production plant. Only at a later stage did he realize the true purpose of the site. He later described his role as "subordinate".

However, in 2007, his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court, which also upgraded his sentence from life imprisonment to the death penalty.

Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, Atlaoui was transferred to Nusakambangan Prison Island in Central Java, Indonesia’s high-security facility for death row inmates. His execution was initially scheduled for April 2015, but a last-minute legal challenge to then-President Joko Widodo’s refusal to grant clemency delayed the process. As a result, prosecutors removed him from the list of inmates scheduled for execution at that time.

In light of his deteriorating health, Atlaoui was later transferred to Salemba Prison in Jakarta to receive medical treatment.

"The Indonesian government considers this transfer a fair decision based on compassionate grounds and in accordance with existing regulations. It also follows a request from the French government," Yusril said.

This decision follows similar actions by the Indonesian government. Last month, another death row inmate, Mary Jane Veloso, was transferred to the Philippines after years of appeals from Manila. Additionally, five Australian citizens convicted of smuggling heroin in Bali were returned to Australia to serve their sentences under an agreement between the two governments.

Source: jakartaglobe.id, Staff, January 24, 2025

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