Frenchman given conditional release after years on death row in Indonesia
Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in the east of France, was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007.
The father of four, currently incarcerated near Paris, had his sentence commuted by the French courts to 30 years imprisonment after Indonesia and France reached a bilateral agreement to extradite him on humanitarian grounds.
Atlaoui, who has suffered from cancer, has been approved for conditional release on 18 July, the prosecutor's office in Meaux said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it is subject to follow-up obligations.
Indonesia, France sign deal for transfer of Frenchman on death row
"It has been a very long battle, there was no question of me giving up at any moment. This is a very great moment for me today, and it will be for him as soon as he is released," his lawyer Richard Sedillot told France's AFP news agency.
Atlaoui was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret laboratory capable of producing 100kg of ecstasy per week. Dozens of kilos of drugs were discovered. The authorities accused him of being a "chemist".
(with AFP)
Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:Frenchman on death row in Indonesia leaves jail ahead of transfer homeIndonesia, France sign deal for transfer of Frenchman on death rowFrance 'mobilised' to save national from Indonesian firing squad
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