Frenchman given conditional release after years on Indonesia death row
The father of four, currently incarcerated near Paris, had his sentence adapted by the French courts to 30 years imprisonment.
Atlaoui was approved for conditional release on July 18, the prosecutor's office in Meaux said in a statement, adding that it is subject to follow-up obligations.
'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 AFP.
Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilogrammes of drugs were discovered and accused of being a 'chemist' by the authorities.
He has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying that he was installing machinery in what he believed was an acrylic factory.
Initially sentenced to life in prison, his sentence was reviewed by Indonesia's supreme court and changed to death on appeal.
Advertisement
He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015, but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed.
Indonesia, which has some of the world's toughest drug laws, has recently released several high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called 'Bali Nine' drug ring.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 minutes ago
- France 24
World Cup host Morocco under pressure to save stray dogs
Advocates have charged that Morocco was indiscriminately ridding its streets of strays ahead of the global sporting event it will jointly host with Portugal and Spain. Authorities in the North African country, however, insist they had endorsed a non-lethal method known as TNVR -- to trap, neuter, vaccinate, and then release the dogs -- aimed at reducing public health risks while controlling the stray population. And a bill aimed at protecting street animals was adopted earlier this month, still pending parliament review. It would set fines of up to $1,500 or jail terms of up to three months for harming stray dogs, according to a copy of the bill seen by AFP. Yet the culling accusations persist as online videos show dogs being shot or poisoned with strychnine, a toxic alkaloid which is sometimes used as a pesticide. In the videos from across the country, some of the dogs appear to already have marks on their ears indicating they had been sterilised and vaccinated. Mohammed, a resident of Tangiers in Morocco's north who refused to give his last name for fear of retribution, said he witnessed a dog he had often seen in the neighbourhood where he works get poisoned and killed. "I heard her cry before I saw her die," he recalled. That dog, too, had its ear tagged, he said. 'Bad image' An online petition launched by the International Animal Coalition to end the "violent killing of dogs on the streets and beaches of Morocco" has gathered nearly 75,000 signatures. In June, an activist interrupted a FIFA Club World Cup match, invading the pitch with a sign that read: "Morocco: stop shooting dogs and cats". France's Brigitte Bardot Foundation, created by the movie star in 1986 to promote animal protection, has called on FIFA to block Morocco from hosting the 2030 tournament. Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has decried "media attacks" against the government with "wrong and out-of-context information". Advocates say Morocco has around three million stray dogs, but no official figures exist. Each year, there are about 100,000 stray dog bites nationwide, according to official data. In 2024, authorities said 33 people died from rabies, which is often transmitted by unvaccinated animals. "Local officials still see dogs on the streets as presenting a bad image," said Salima Kadaoui, 52, who launched the Hayat project, using the TNVR method to help control the stray dog population in Tangiers and aiming at eradicating rabies. Rabies 'police' Kadaoui commended government efforts to protect animals, saying she was "fully available" to work with authorities and build up on the success of Hayat -- meaning "life" in Arabic -- which has treated more than 4,600 dogs in Tangiers alone since 2016. She said it was "essential" not to kill TNVR-tagged dogs and to return them to the same place. "They're like police against rabies. If a rabid dog shows up, they drive it away and protect the community." The government has invested more than $24 million in creating clinics capable of implementing TNVR en masse, said Mohammed Roudani, head of hygiene and green spaces at the interior ministry. One clinic is already active in Al Arjat, near the capital Rabat, where veterinarian Youssef Lhor said more than 500 dogs had been treated this year and nearly half of them released back to the areas where they had been captured. A young female dog, tagged "636", was recovering at the clinic after being sterilised, and will soon be released. "Sometimes people tell us: 'You took the dogs away, why are you bringing them back?'" said Lhor, highlighting the need for public awareness on the issue. Moroccan authorities have developed a mobile app explaining what these clinics do, and allowing users to report sightings of stray dogs. Kadaoui said it was important to educate people on proper behaviour around strays and to warn against myths, like the idea that spitting on a dog bite could heal the injury.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
US: Army sergeant shot 5 soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, forcing a brief lockdown
A sergeant shot five soldiers on Wednesday, August 6, at one of the country's largest Army bases before he was quickly tackled by other Fort Stewart troops, forcing a brief lockdown, officials said. Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but officials said the shooter was Sgt. Quornelius Radford, 28, who used a personal handgun, not a military firearm. Radford opened fire where he worked, but officials wouldn't speculate about a motive, authorities said. The injured soldiers are stable and expected to recover, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The soldiers who tackled Radford helped ensure his arrest, said Lubas, who commands the 3rd Infantry Division. "These soldiers, without a doubt, prevented further casualties or wounded," he said. This latest act of violence on a US military installation – sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country – again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces' walls. The Army said it's investigating the shooting. There were still many unanswered questions, including the scope of the injuries and the shooter's motive. The injured were taken to the hospital and three underwent surgery, officials said. Army records released to The Associated Press show that Radford enlisted in January 2018. He worked as a supply sergeant and has not been deployed. Radford faced an Aug. 20 hearing in Hinesville, a small town near the base, on accusations of driving under the influence and running a red light just after 1 am on May 18, according to a citation and court filing. He was given a blood test and freed on a $1,818 bond, the documents said. Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11 am The shooter was arrested at 11:35 am, officials said. The lockdown lasted about an hour. After it was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort's main gate. 'Most modern land fighting force' The Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team was created in 2016 when the service added more than 200 vehicles to an infantry unit of roughly 4,200 soldiers. Also known as the "Spartan Brigade," the Army has called the unit its "most modern land fighting force." Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River by land area. It's home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and family members. President Donald Trump called the shooter a "horrible person" in comments to reporters at the White House. The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Among the deadliest acts of violence on US military bases was a 2009 attack. A US Army psychiatrist killed 13 people in a shooting that left more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas. In 2013, a defense contract worker and former Navy reservist killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. He was then killed in a gun battle with police. In 2014, a soldier opened fire on his fellow service members at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others before the gunman killed himself. In 2019, an aviation student opened fire in a classroom at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and injuring another dozen people, including two sheriff's deputies. Just days earlier, a US Navy sailor shot two people to death before killing himself at Pearl Harbor, the Naval station in Hawaii.
LeMonde
12 hours ago
- LeMonde
Qatargate: French investigators scrutinize FIFA's contracts
Did Qatar convince members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association's (FIFA) executive commitee to vote in its favor on December 2, 2010, during the vote to awarding the right to host the 2022 World Cup, via a bonus, which was provided for prior to the vote and included in a television contract signed between FIFA and the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera? French investigating judges Serge Tournaire and Virginie Tilmont have been conducting a judicial investigation into "corruption" amid the conditions by which Qatar, "a country rated the lowest technically among all candidates" by FIFA's inspection teams, secured the right to host the tournament. As part of the investigation, the judges have been conducting verification efforts to answer the question of corruption. In late 2022, they sent a judicial cooperation request to the Swiss authorities. The judges became intrigued when reading the contract between Al Jazeera Sports (now BeIN Sports) and FIFA, which was worth $400 million (€347 million) in total and was signed at the end of 2010. It includes a clause stating that "in the event that the 2022 competition is awarded to the State of Qatar, Al-Jazeera shall (...) pay to FIFA (...) the monetary amount of one hundred million United States dollars as a non-refundable contribution towards the costs of the host broadcast production."
