Sentenced to death since 2007 for drug trafficking, Serge Atlaoui from Metz has been on probation ever since. France has just officially requested his repatriation to France after 19 years behind bars. This 60-year-old father of four has always proclaimed his innocence.
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Will Serge Atlaoui be transferred to France after spending 20 years in prison in Indonesia for drug trafficking? For the Messin lawyer who has always proclaimed his innocence, nothing is over but the signs are encouraging:
“We must not rejoice too quickly, there is no question of declaring victory as long as there is no transfer, there are certainly signs of hope but nothing has yet been resolved, we must see what the authorities Indonesian women decide“, explains Richard Sédillot, specialized in international law.
The sign of hope is the official request made by France for the repatriation of Serge Atlaoui.
“The French Embassy delivered a letter from the French Minister of Justice to the Indonesian Minister of Justice, dated November 4, containing a request for the transfer of the French prisoner named Serge Atlaoui“, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesian Minister of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, told AFP.
Arrested in 2005 after the discovery of drugs in the factory where he worked, this artisan welder from Metz, married and father of four children, was sentenced to death in 2007. He was accused of being a chemist by the Indonesian courts. . He was to be executed in 2015, but under pressure from France and Serge Atlaoui's supporters, he has since been on reprieve. There have been no executions in Indonesia since 2016.
Serge Atlaoui was detained for a long time on the island of Nusakambangan, nicknamed the Indonesian “Alcatraz”, in the center of the island of Java. Since 2015, he has been serving his sentence in Tangerang, a city west of Jakarta.
Richard Sédillot is full of praise for his client. “Despite his very long period of detention, he shows exceptional courage, he shows great humanity and he continues to believe in it“.
It is difficult to know more about the wishes of the Indonesian authorities who practice an extremely strict policy on drug detention and trafficking. The French embassy has not yet reacted. If Serge Atlaoui were finally repatriated to French soil, it is impossible to say for the moment whether he would be free or whether he would have to continue serving his sentence in France.
