French drug convict and death row prisoner Serge Atlaoui is escorted by police upon his arrival at Tangerang court outside Jakarta in this file picture from April 1, 2015. - AFP
JAKARTA: France has called for the "immediate return" of a French inmate on death row in Indonesia, citing his "deteriorating health", the Indonesian law and human rights ministry said Wednesday (Jan 8).
French diplomats have acknowledged since late last year that talks were underway for the transfer of Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old Frenchman arrested in 2005 at a drugs factory outside the capital Jakarta.
"Given Serge Atlaoui's deteriorating health, humanitarian consideration for his immediate return would be appreciated," said the number-two official at the French Embassy in Indonesia, Laurent Legodec, according to a statement from Indonesia's law and human rights ministry.
"The French government respects Indonesia's sovereignty in administering justice and would adjust the sentence according to French law," Legodec was also quoted as saying during a meeting between the two nations' representatives.
Discussions would continue in order "to reach an agreement that satisfies both Indonesia and France", the ministry added.
Paris officially requested Atlaoui's transfer in a letter from the minister of justice dated Dec 19, senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told AFP last month.
"I have requested that the transfer take place in mid-January so that Serge's health problems can be taken into consideration," his lawyer Richard Sedillot said on Wednesday.
After his arrest two decades ago, Atlaoui was initially sentenced to life in prison, but Indonesia's Supreme Court in 2007 increased his sentence to death on appeal.
The father-of-four has maintained his innocence, claiming that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylics plant.
In 2015, he was due to be executed alongside eight other drug offenders but won a temporary reprieve after Paris stepped up pressure, with Indonesian authorities agreeing to let an outstanding appeal run its course.
Indonesia has in recent weeks released half a dozen high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called "Bali Nine" drug ring. - AFP
