In a significant diplomatic development, Indonesia and the Netherlands have formalized an agreement to repatriate two Dutch citizens convicted of serious drug offenses in Indonesia. The arrangement, signed simultaneously in Jakarta and Amsterdam on Tuesday, involves 74-year-old Siegfried Mets, who faces capital punishment, and 65-year-old Ali Tokman, currently serving a life imprisonment sentence.
The transfer initiative emerged following a formal appeal from Dutch King Willem-Alexander and the Netherlands’ foreign ministry, citing the detainees’ deteriorating health conditions as primary humanitarian grounds. Indonesian Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who endorsed the agreement during a ceremonial signing in Jakarta, confirmed that President Prabowo Subianto had authorized the arrangement with an anticipated transfer date of December 8.
Siegfried Mets received the death penalty for his involvement in smuggling 600,000 ecstasy tablets from the Netherlands to Indonesia in February 2008, having spent 17 years in Jakarta’s detention facilities. Ali Tokman was apprehended at Surabaya Airport in December 2014 after customs officials discovered approximately 6 kilograms of MDMA in his possession, serving 11 years of his life term.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel concurrently signed the agreement in Amsterdam, with diplomatic delegations from both nations witnessing the proceedings. Marc Gerritsen, Netherlands Ambassador to Indonesia, expressed profound gratitude for Indonesia’s humanitarian consideration, noting that the transfer would enable both detainees to be nearer to their families while demonstrating strengthened bilateral cooperation in judicial matters.
This development aligns with President Prabowo’s administration pattern of facilitating foreign prisoner repatriations through bilateral agreements. Previous transfers include a Filipina facing drug-related execution, five Australians convicted of heroin trafficking, and two British nationals sentenced for drug smuggling offenses.
Despite maintaining some of the world’s strictest narcotics regulations, Indonesia remains a significant trafficking hub according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Recent data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Corrections indicates approximately 530 individuals await execution on death row, primarily for drug-related crimes, including nearly 100 foreign nationals. The country last performed executions in July 2016, involving one Indonesian and three foreign citizens.