Indonesia, Malaysia agree on key terms for prisoner transfer pact

Jakarta (ANTARA) -

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have reached an agreement on the key provisions of a prisoner transfer pact that will serve as the framework for repatriating each other’s nationals facing legal proceedings in both countries.

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that discussions on the draft agreement have reached an understanding in principle and will proceed to the next stage before being signed by both countries.

"With the direction of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the main points related to the draft prisoner transfer agreement have been agreed upon and will be discussed at the next level," Mahendra confirmed on Tuesday.

He said the Indonesian government places significant importance on the cooperation, given the large number of Indonesian nationals currently serving prison sentences in Malaysia.

He also noted that Malaysia had previously proposed that granting remissions, amnesties, abolitions, or other forms of pardons to repatriated prisoners still require the approval of the country where the sentence was issued.

However, this proposal was rejected by Indonesia, as the authority for rehabilitating and granting pardons should rest entirely with the country receiving the prisoners.

"They are required to officially inform us if a remission or pardon is granted. We will fully respect their authority," the minister added.

According to him, the same principle applies to Malaysian citizens repatriated from Indonesia to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed with this view during a meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Monday, as the repatriation of prisoners is the full responsibility of the receiving country.

He believes the agreement, which will soon be signed by the two countries, demonstrates the government's commitment to providing protection to citizens facing legal issues abroad.

Data from the Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections showed that as of June 2026, there were 314 Malaysian citizens in the Indonesian correctional system, consisting of 47 detainees and 267 convicts.

Of these, 23 were sentenced to death, 51 were serving life sentences, and 193 were serving prison sentences of various lengths.

Of the Malaysian citizens, 290 were involved in narcotics-related offenses, while the rest were convicted of violations related to health, immigration, Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE), migrant worker protection, fraud, fisheries, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, Malaysian government data records 6,622 Indonesian citizens in the country's correctional system, consisting of 1,722 detainees and 4,900 convicts.

Of this number, two are serving the death penalty, 49 are serving life sentences, and 6,571 are serving prison sentences.

Among the Indonesian citizens, 62 fall into vulnerable categories, including the elderly, people with mental disorders, minors under the age of 18, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and mothers with young children.

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Translator: Agatha Olivia, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: Arie Novarina

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