Over 150 Indonesians Face Death Penalty Abroad

Jakarta – As many as 157 Indonesian nationals are facing the death penalty overseas, according to the latest figures from January 2025.

The majority of these individuals are in Malaysia due to drug trafficking charges, as stated by Judha Nugraha, director of citizen protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Government Assistance and Repatriation Efforts

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively providing legal aid to ensure the rights of these Indonesian citizens are upheld. Diplomatic protection is also offered for criminal cases that have been finalized.

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has announced the government’s intention to negotiate the repatriation of Indonesian death row convicts in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

“After completing the process of transferring death row inmates to their home countries,” Yusril explained, “the Indonesian government will begin processing Indonesian death row inmates abroad, especially those held in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. There are quite a lot of Indonesian citizens facing the death penalty there, but have yet to be executed.”

Negotiations and Family Involvement

However, Yusril emphasized that the government must engage in discussions with the inmates’ families regarding the transfer mechanism.
Finally, Yusril reiterated the state’s responsibility to protect its citizens, regardless of their actions or beliefs:

“The state is required to protect its citizens regardless of ‘whatever the mistakes be, or whatever their ideologies are.’”