Indonesia plans to return high-profile detainees from Australia, France, and the Philippines by the end of the year, a minister announced on Thursday.
“Our target is hopefully at the end of December, the transfers of these prisoners will have been completed,” said Indonesian senior minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
The announcement follows Yusril’s statement last week that President Prabowo Subianto had “approved the transfer” of Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines.
The death row convict, whose case sparked uproar in the Philippines, said she was “very elated” to learn of the move.
Veloso, saved from execution in 2015 after being caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin, could return to the Philippines by January. She has been on death row since her 2010 arrest.
Other high-profile transfers include five members of Australia’s “Bali Nine” drug ring. Two were executed by firing squad, one died of cancer, and another was released in 2018. The remaining inmates—Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, and Martin Stephens—are still serving sentences for attempting to smuggle 8 kilograms of heroin from Bali in 2005.
Yusril will discuss their transfer with Australia’s minister for home affairs Tony Burke next week. Talks are also ongoing with France regarding the transfer of a French prisoner.
The minister emphasized that Indonesia prefers prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries, though respects the right of nations to offer amnesty.
“We are transferring them to their countries so they can serve their sentence there, but if the countries want to give amnesty, we respect it. It’s their right,” he said.