The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have reached an agreement on\nthe key provisions of a prisoner transfer pact that will serve as the\nframework for repatriating each other\u2019s nationals facing legal\nproceedings in both countries.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and\nCorrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that discussions on the draft\nagreement have reached an understanding in principle and will proceed to\nthe next stage before being signed by both countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the direction of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the\nmain points related to the draft prisoner transfer agreement have been\nagreed upon and will be discussed at the next level,\u201d Mahendra confirmed\non Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the Indonesian government places significant importance on\nthe cooperation, given the large number of Indonesian nationals\ncurrently serving prison sentences in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
He also noted that Malaysia had previously proposed that granting\nremissions, amnesties, abolitions, or other forms of pardons to\nrepatriated prisoners still require the approval of the country where\nthe sentence was issued.<\/p>\n
However, this proposal was rejected by Indonesia, as the authority\nfor rehabilitating and granting pardons should rest entirely with the\ncountry receiving the prisoners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are required to officially inform us if a remission or pardon\nis granted. We will fully respect their authority,\u201d the minister\nadded.<\/p>\n
According to him, the same principle applies to Malaysian citizens\nrepatriated from Indonesia to serve the remainder of their sentences in\ntheir home country.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed with this view during a\nmeeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Monday, as the repatriation of\nprisoners is the full responsibility of the receiving country.<\/p>\n
He believes the agreement, which will soon be signed by the two\ncountries, demonstrates the government\u2019s commitment to providing\nprotection to citizens facing legal issues abroad.<\/p>\n
Data from the Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights,\nImmigration, and Corrections showed that as of June 2026, there were 314\nMalaysian citizens in the Indonesian correctional system, consisting of\n47 detainees and 267 convicts.<\/p>\n
Of these, 23 were sentenced to death, 51 were serving life sentences,\nand 193 were serving prison sentences of various lengths.<\/p>\n
Of the Malaysian citizens, 290 were involved in narcotics-related\noffenses, while the rest were convicted of violations related to health,\nimmigration, Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE), migrant\nworker protection, fraud, fisheries, and money laundering.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Malaysian government data records 6,622 Indonesian\ncitizens in the country\u2019s correctional system, consisting of 1,722\ndetainees and 4,900 convicts.<\/p>\n
Of this number, two are serving the death penalty, 49 are serving\nlife sentences, and 6,571 are serving prison sentences.<\/p>\n
Among the Indonesian citizens, 62 fall into vulnerable categories,\nincluding the elderly, people with mental disorders, minors under the\nage of 18, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and mothers with\nyoung children.<\/p>\n
Related news: Indonesia, UK sign agreement to repatriate British\nprisoners<\/p>\n
Related news: Govt finalizes bill on crossborder prisoner\ntransfers<\/p>\n
Translator: Agatha Olivia, Resinta Sulistiyandari<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-malaysia-agree-on-key-terms-for-prisoner-transfer-pact-1782795008", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }