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Reynhard, Hambali repatriations currently not priority, Yusril says
The government instead will prioritize repatriating around 54 Indonesian nationals sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, as Indonesian officials have entered into talks with Saudi authorities.
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Coordinating Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra (center) sits between his deputies Otto Hasibuan (right) and Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus (left) on Feb. 11, 2025, ahead of a meeting with House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he repatriation of Reynhard Sinaga, an Indonesian national convicted of serial rape in the United Kingdom, and Hambali, the alleged mastermind of the deadly 2002 Bali bombing, is not a priority for the government for now.
During a meeting with House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs on Monday, Coordinating Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the government was concerned about the fate and protection of Indonesians imprisoned abroad, including Reynhard and Hambali, regardless of what they are convicted or jailed for.
However, the minister admitted that the government would not prioritize returning them home to Indonesia, citing the complexity of their cases as well as public opinion of both figures.
“There are other cases that need to be taken care of immediately, such as around 54 Indonesian nationals facing death sentences in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia,” Yusril said, answering a question from Commission I member Sarifah Ainun Jariyah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
He added that his office along with the Migrant Workers Protection Ministry and the Foreign Ministry had kicked off talks with their Saudi counterparts but stopped short of detailing the progress of the negotiations.
Read also: Govt works to return rapist Reynhard Sinaga home from UK
Last Thursday, Yusril said that Indonesian officials had started talks with the British government for a possible prisoner exchange that would see Reynhard sent to Jakarta in return for British nationals jailed in Indonesia.
