Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the Iranian government had sent a letter requesting the transfer of prisoners. However, Indonesia has yet to determine its stance on the request.
Yusril said that more than 50 Iranian citizens have been sentenced domestically. "And we haven't discussed it at all," he said at his office in the Rasuna Said area, South Jakarta, on Friday, December 20, 2024.
The former Minister of State Secretary during the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that he had forwarded the request from the Iranian government to President Prabowo Subianto. "We haven't taken any action, we are studying it case by case," he said. This is because the number of Iranian prisoners in Indonesia is quite large.
Meanwhile, in Iran, Yusril continued, there are two Indonesian citizens (WNI) who have been convicted. "And the President of Iran has given them a grace period, they have returned to Indonesia," he said. "So we don't have any prisoners in Iran, but there are many cases of Iranian prisoners here related to narcotics."
Previously, at least three countries had discussed plans to request the transfer of their citizens who were convicted in Indonesia. The three countries are the Philippines, Australia, and France.
The Philippines requested the return of Mary Jane Veloso and Australia requested the repatriation of the Bali Nine convicts. The five remaining prisoners from the Bali Nine case were returned to their home countries on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Meanwhile, Mary Jane returned to the Philippines in the early hours of Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
Most recently, Yusril just held a bilateral meeting with the French Ambassador to Indonesia Fabien Penone, on Friday afternoon, December 20, 2024. They discussed the request for the repatriation of death row convict Serge Areski Atlaoui which was submitted personally by the French prisoner.
However, Yusril said that the French government had not submitted an official request letter. This is because France is still considering and has not yet determined its stance. In that meeting, there was no exchange of drafts regarding the prisoner transfer plan for Serge.