Yusril: Deportation of Abdul Karim to Cyprus Part of Law Enforcement
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections (Menko Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra has stated that the deportation of Palestinian national Abdul Karim Raed Miqdad to the Republic of Cyprus was part of international law enforcement cooperation. He rejected any suggestion linking the action to Indonesia’s political stance on Palestine.
The affirmation was made by Yusril after receiving an audience with the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Indonesia, H.E. Nicholas Panayiotou, in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/7). The meeting discussed the deportation process of Abdul Karim Raed Miqdad, which was carried out by the Indonesian government at the request of the Cypriot government through Interpol mechanisms.
Yusril explained that Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with Cyprus. Therefore, Abdul Karim’s return was carried out through a deportation mechanism after Interpol issued a Red Notice.
“The deportation was carried out because Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with the Republic of Cyprus. The request was submitted through Interpol, which had issued a Red Notice against the person concerned after going through a verification process in accordance with applicable regulations,” said Yusril.
According to Yusril, the Cypriot government had sufficient preliminary evidence and named Abdul Karim as a suspect for alleged criminal offences committed within the jurisdiction of that country. Communication between the Cyprus Police and the Indonesian National Police, he continued, had been ongoing since 21 May 2026, long before the Red Notice was issued on 16 July 2026.
After the Red Notice was received by the National Central Bureau (NCB)-Interpol Indonesia, the deportation process was carried out on 17 July 2026. The Cypriot government then sent a special aircraft with a police escort to pick up Abdul Karim in Jakarta.
Yusril stressed that the issuance of a Red Notice by Interpol is not done arbitrarily. He said the international police organisation has strict mechanisms to ensure that the case submitted is a purely criminal matter.
“Interpol has a very strict mechanism before issuing a Red Notice. After going through the examination process, this case was declared a purely criminal case, thus becoming the basis for Indonesia to respond in accordance with international cooperation mechanisms,” he said.
On that occasion, Yusril also corrected various information circulating in the public that claimed Abdul Karim was a Palestinian religious scholar or humanitarian activist in the Gaza Strip. Based on coordination between the Indonesian government and the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta, this information was declared untrue.
“We have coordinated with the Palestinian Ambassador. Based on the investigation carried out, the person concerned is neither a religious scholar nor a humanitarian activist. During his stay in Indonesia, he was active as an ordinary citizen running a business,” he explained.
Yusril also denied rumours suggesting that Abdul Karim would be handed over to Israel after arriving in Cyprus. According to him, the Indonesian government had requested a direct guarantee from the Cypriot government, which stated that Abdul Karim would not be extradited to a third country as it contravenes the provisions of the Interpol mechanism.
“I have requested direct confirmation from the Cypriot government. They guarantee that the person concerned will not be handed over to any third country because it is contrary to the applicable provisions in the Interpol mechanism,” said Yusril.