French man on death row in Indonesia returns home

Serge Atlaoui, a French citizen sentenced to death in 2007 for drug offenses, is scheduled to return to France on Tuesday as a result of an agreement between the two countries. Atlaoui, 61, was accused by Indonesian authorities of being a "chemist" and was arrested in 2005 at a factory in Jakarta where dozens of kilograms of drugs were discovered. This repatriation marks the end of a long legal battle and offers Atlaoui a chance for a fresh start.

Indonesia and France reached an agreement on January 24 to extradite the father of four on "humanitarian grounds" because he suffers from cancer and has been receiving weekly treatment in the hospital. "It's a miracle. He survived the death penalty after 19 years of imprisonment," Atlaoui's wife, Sabine Atlaoui, said in an interview with French radio RTL. This agreement highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing complex legal and humanitarian issues.

According to Agence France-Presse, the 61-year-old was handed over to French police at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and boarded a commercial flight to Paris at 19:35 local time (12:35 GMT). His lawyer, Richard Sédillot, told Agence France-Presse that Atlaoui would arrive in France on Wednesday morning and be handed over to prosecutors, "most likely to be detained pending a decision on his future sentence." The transfer signifies a critical step in Atlaoui's journey towards potential freedom.

Indonesian Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly told Reuters that the maximum penalty for similar crimes in France is 30 years. He stated that whether to grant "pardon, amnesty, or commutation" would be decided by Paris. Sédillot told Agence France-Presse that he was "delighted" with the extradition and that he "will now work to ensure that the sentence is adapted to conditions that allow his release." The focus now shifts to the French legal system and the potential for a reduced sentence.

Atlaoui's wife stated that Atlaoui told his family he did not want to meet them at the airport. "He wants to see his family again once he is free," she told RTL, "Unfortunately, we don't know how long that will take." Atlaoui, a welder from Metz in northeastern France, has always denied being a drug trafficker. He claimed he was installing machines at an acrylics factory but told Agence France-Presse in 2015 that he "thought something was suspicious." He was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but the Indonesian Supreme Court changed the sentence to death on appeal. His execution was suspended in 2015 due to pressure from the French government. Recently, Indonesia has released several high-profile prisoners incarcerated under the country's strict drug laws. Last December, Filipina mother Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison and sentenced to death for passing through an Indonesian airport carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin, was extradited back to her home country. In the same month, the remaining five members of the "Bali Nine" drug trafficking gang returned to Australia. According to the Immigration and Correctional Department, there are currently 90 foreigners sentenced to death in the country, including one woman. This case underscores the complexities and controversies surrounding drug laws and capital punishment in Indonesia.