Latest news with #RichardSedillot
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Frenchman freed after years on death row in Indonesia
Serge Atlaoui was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. (EPA Images pic) PARIS : A Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France left prison today after being granted a conditional release. Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in eastern France, was flown back to home in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. He was greeted by his lawyer, Richard Sedillot, as he walked out of the gate of Meaux prison near Paris, wearing a white T-shirt and grey trousers. 'He will be able to breathe the freedom that he waited for all these years,' his wife, Sabine Atlaoui, told RTL broadcaster shortly before his release, which she called 'unbelievable'. She had not yet 'fully realised' that her husband 'is back and will be with us again every day', she said. The father of four had his sentence adapted by the French courts to 30 years' imprisonment and then was approved for conditional release. 'The story of Serge Atlaoui, who was sentenced to death, is a life lesson,' Sedillot told AFP while he waited for his client. 'His resilience, his courage, his patience and his humanity are lessons for all of us.' Diplomatic pressure 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 he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory. Initially sentenced to life in prison, he had his sentence reviewed by the Indonesia's Supreme Court and changed to death on appeal. He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015 but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed. Atlaoui's case attracted attention in Indonesia and in France, where supporters saw him as a symbol of the fight against the death penalty. France abolished capital punishment in 1981. Pressure applied by the French government was key to her husband's release, Sabine Atlaoui said. 'It's very clear that diplomatic efforts during all those years allowed my husband to return,' she said. 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.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Frenchman Serge Atlaoui released after years on Indonesia death row
A Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France left prison on Friday after being granted a conditional release. Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in eastern France, was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. He was greeted by his lawyer, Richard Sedillot, as he walked out of the gate of Meaux prison near Paris, wearing a white T-shirt and grey trousers. "He will be able to breathe the freedom that he waited for for all these years," his wife, Sabine Atlaoui, told RTL broadcaster shortly before his release, which she called "unbelievable". She had not yet "fully realised" that her husband "is back and will be with us again every day", she said. The father of four had his sentence adapted by the French courts to 30 years' imprisonment and then was approved for conditional release. "The story of Serge Atlaoui, who was sentenced to death, is a life lesson," Sedillot told AFP while he waited for his client. "His resilience, his courage, his patience and his humanity are lessons for all of us." Diplomatic pressure Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilogrammes (pounds) of drugs were discovered, and accused of being a "chemist" by the authorities. He has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory. Initially sentenced to life in prison, he had his sentence reviewed by the Indonesia's supreme court and changed to death on appeal. He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015 but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed. Atlaoui's case attracted attention in Indonesia and in France, where supporters saw him as a symbol of the fight against the death penalty. France abolished capital punishment in 1981. Pressure applied by the French government was key to her husband's release, Sabine Atlaoui said. "It's very clear that diplomatic efforts during all those years allowed my husband to return," she said. 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.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Frenchman given conditional release after years on death row in Indonesia
Serge Atlaoui – a Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France – has been granted a conditional release, prosecutors have announced. 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
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
Frenchman granted conditional release after 18 years on Indonesia death row for drugs
PARIS, July 16 — A Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France, has been granted a conditional release, prosecutors said yesterday. Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz, 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 adapted by the French courts to 30 years imprisonment. Atlaoui has been 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 kilos (pounds) 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 thought was an acrylic factory. Initially sentenced to life in prison, his sentence was reviewed by the Indonesia's supreme court and changed to death on appeal. He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015, but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the 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. — AFP
Arab News
05-02-2025
- Arab News
Frenchman returns home after Indonesian death row reprieve: airport source
Serge Atlaoui, 61, was to be driven from the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris to court and then on to jailAtlaoui's lawyer Richard Sedillot has said he would work to have his client's sentence 'adapted' so that the father of four could be releasedBOBIGNY, France: A Frenchman reprieved after 18 years on death row in Indonesia for alleged drug offenses landed back in France on Wednesday, an airport source Atlaoui, 61, was to be driven from the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris to court and then on to jail, according to a source close to the case and the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of an agreement last month between both countries for his transfer, Jakarta has left it to the French government to grant him either clemency, amnesty or a reduced abolished capital punishment in 1981.A prosecutor in Bobigny would inform Atlaoui 'of his imprisonment in France in execution of his sentence,' the public prosecutor's office there said before he will then immediately be taken to prison, it lawyer Richard Sedillot has said he would work to have his client's sentence 'adapted' so that the father of four could be was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilogrammes of drugs were discovered, with Indonesian authorities accusing him of being a 'chemist.'A welder from Metz in northeastern France, he has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic had left Jakarta for Paris on Tuesday evening on board a KLM flight via return was made possible after an agreement between French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin and his Indonesian counterpart, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, on January the agreement, Jakarta said it had decided not to execute Atlaoui and authorized his return on 'humanitarian grounds' because he was was tight-lipped and wore a face mask at a news conference at Jakarta's main airport, after he was driven there in a black van from the capital's Salemba prison and handed over to French police has some of the world's toughest drug laws and has executed foreigners in the Southeast Asian country has in recent weeks released half a dozen high-profile detainees, including a Filipino mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called 'Bali Nine' drug to French association Ensemble contre la peine de mort ('Together Against the Death Penalty'), at least four other French citizens are on death row around the world: two in Morocco, one in China, and a woman in Algeria.
