Five Australian inmates might return home after 19 years in Indonesian prison
Indonesian officials discuss sending five Australian prisoners back to their homeland. The transfer plan needs final approval from both countries with specific conditions about keeping their prisoner status
In a significant development‚ five members of the well-known Bali Nine group - whoʼve spent almost two-decades in Indonesian prisons - might soon head back to Australia
The first paragraph of negotiations shows Indonesiaʼs law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra discussing key transfer points: Australia needs to accept Indonesian legal power respect court decisions and (most importantly) keep these people as inmates after the move
The transfer idea came up in mid-24 when both countries started working on prisoner exchange rules; the draft needs some final touches. The plan would let these life-sentence prisoners finish their time in Australian jails - which is a big step in relations between these countries
- Australia must write down its ok with Indonesian laws
- Both sides need to agree on keeping prisoner status
- Transfer papers should respect Indonesian court choices
The timing looks good for a pre-holiday transfer but everything depends on how fast Australian officials respond to Indonesiaʼs requests: its all about finding the right balance between following rules and getting things done
