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Indonesia, Malaysia to form special team for prisoner exchange
Senior law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Malaysia Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution have agreed to form a joint team for prisoner exchange between both countries.
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Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra (left) speaks after a meeting with Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution in Jakarta on Feb. 25, 2025. Both countries have agreed to form a working group to discuss prisoner exchange. (Kompas.com/Haryanti Puspa Sari)
I
ndonesia and Malaysia have agreed to establish a joint working group to discuss prisoner exchange, focusing on the technical aspects of the exchange including outlining the requirements and determining the number of prisoners to be exchanged, Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Tuesday.
Yusril met with Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“From today’s [Tuesday] meeting, since the issue of prisoner repatriation or exchange was brought up, we agreed to form a joint team,” Yusril said, as quoted by kompas.com.
During the meeting, Saifudin said there were currently 5,000 Indonesians imprisoned in Malaysia. He said the figure included both convicted prisoners and those detained for ongoing investigations.
Saifuddin said the prisoner exchange could follow a model previously implemented by Indonesia with other countries. However, for a formal process, both Indonesia and Malaysia would need to establish an International Transfer of Prisoners (ITOP) agreement.
Although there was currently no binding agreement between the two nations yet, Yusril said that the longstanding friendship between Indonesia and Malaysia would accelerate the process.
“We are like close friends. Therefore, these negotiations, God willing, will proceed smoothly and more quickly compared with those with other countries,” Yusril said.
