“We have reached an agreement with the British government. They will be picked up within the next two or three days and flown from Denpasar (Bali) to Dubai before continuing to the United Kingdom,” Mahendra said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The two convicts are Lindsay June Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, both found guilty by Indonesia’s Supreme Court of narcotics offenses. Sandiford, who is nearly 70 years old, was sentenced to death but has not been executed, while Shahabadi received a life sentence.
Mahendra explained that the repatriation follows a request from the British government and is being carried out under a practical arrangement agreed upon by both countries. The coordination involves the Attorney General’s Office, the Directorate General of Corrections, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Although Indonesia has agreed to return the two British prisoners, discussions regarding the repatriation of Indonesian nationals serving sentences in the UK have not yet begun.
“This issue requires comprehensive consideration and coordination among ministries. Discussions on the matter have not started,” he noted.
Earlier, on October 21, Minister Mahendra and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper signed a practical arrangement in Jakarta concerning the transfer of the two British prisoners.
Sandiford has been detained since May 25, 2012, at Kerobokan Women’s Prison in Bali, while Shahabadi has been imprisoned since June 26, 2014, at Kembangkuning Prison, Nusakambangan.
Both have served more than a decade in Indonesia.
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Translator: Fath, Kenzu
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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