Serge Atlaoui, sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking since 2007, will be transferred to France on February 4.
Serge Atlaoui waited twenty years in a prison in Indonesia before being able to return to France. The French national was arrested in 2005 in a factory in the suburbs of Jakarta where drugs were discovered. The authorities had accused him of being a “chemist” involved in drug trafficking and imprisoned. The artisan welder from Metz, however, always denied being a drug trafficker, claiming that he had only installed industrial machines in what he believed to be an acrylic factory. Since 2005, France has negotiated the return of Serge Atlaoui with Indonesia. An agreement was finally reached on January 24, 2025.
The arrest of Serge Atlaoui caused a stir in Indonesia, where anti-drug legislation is one of the strictest in the world, but also in France. Especially since the Indonesian courts handed down the heaviest sentences against the Frenchman. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment, he saw his sentence increased by decision of the Supreme Court in 2007: on appeal, the court decided to sentence him to the death penalty.
Fortunately, the father of four was granted a reprieve after Paris stepped up pressure, with Indonesian authorities agreeing to let a pending appeal take its course. But without France’s intervention, Serge Atlaoui was to be executed alongside eight other convicts in 2015.
This Friday, January 24, marks a new victory for the detainee and his loved ones. “We have just signed a technical agreement between the Indonesian government and the French Republic. What we signed today is an agreement (…) to transfer a French citizen named Serge Atlaoui,” said Yusril Ihza Mahendra , Indonesian Minister in charge of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, to AFP.
Asked about the date of the detainee’s transfer, the minister replied “February 4, as required by the French government”, in a message. The agreement was ratified at 2 p.m. in Jakarta (10 a.m. in France) by Mr. Yusril and by Gérald Darmanin, French Minister of Justice, remotely from Paris by videoconference. The two governments are now working to finalize the terms of his repatriation.
Back in France… and in prison?
This agreement stems from an official request from France demanding the “immediate return” of Serge Atlaoui due to “the deterioration of (his) state of health”, the seriousness of which remains unknown according to Here (formerly France Bleu). The request obtained a favorable outcome, even if the fate of the sixty-year-old upon his arrival on French soil must be clarified as part of the agreement. Is further incarceration in France possible?
Contacted by Agence Radio France, Serge Atlaoui’s lawyer was optimistic on RMC: “From what we understand, the Indonesian government announced that it would accept any decision that would be taken by France following the repatriation”. But Mr. Richard Sédillot believes that his client should still go back to prison on his return to France. A detention which should last until the French justice system makes a decision. However, he hopes for a rapid release of Serge Atlaoui and is confident, declaring that “there is not the slightest element in his file which would allow us to consider that he was guilty”.