Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, has requested that the Indian government submit a formal proposal for the transfer of Indian prisoners currently incarcerated in Indonesia.
In a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, on August 1, Mahendra said that such a request should be sent officially through India’s Minister of Home Affairs or the Minister of Law and Justice.
“Indonesia is open to discussing a prisoner transfer agreement, provided it aligns with our national legal framework and adheres to the principle of reciprocity,” Mahendra stated in a press release on Monday.
Addressing concerns raised by the ambassador regarding alleged irregularities in the legal proceedings involving three Indian citizens charged in narcotics cases, Mahendra said he had not yet received complete information and would study the matter immediately.
Ambassador Chakravorty expressed hope that the Indonesian government would allow for the repatriation of several Indian nationals, including those on death row, through a formal prisoner transfer mechanism.
He specifically referred to Indian nationals imprisoned since 2004 and currently held at Nusakambangan Penitentiary.
The Indian government is seeking an agreement that would allow these individuals to serve the remainder of their sentences in India.
In India, prisoners serving life sentences may be released after a minimum of 14 years. Chakravorty pointed out that some Indian citizens have already served more than 20 years in Indonesian prisons.
The ambassador also brought up the case of three Indian citizens who were sentenced to death after being caught transporting narcotics in Indonesian waters near the Riau Islands. He requested that they be granted proper access to communicate with Indian government representatives during their ongoing legal process.
Chakravorty claimed there were irregularities in the proceedings. The three individuals are currently appealing their sentences.
