JAKARTA:Â The remaining five Australians involved in the notorious “Bali Nine” heroin trafficking plot have returned to Australia after spending nearly two decades in Indonesian prisons. This follows a deal struck between the Australian and Indonesian governments to secure their release.
“I am pleased to confirm that Australian citizens Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, and Martin Stephens have returned to Australia this afternoon,” announced Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on social media on Sunday.
The five men were serving life sentences as part of a group of nine individuals arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle over 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of heroin from Bali to Australia. The failed operation has long been a source of diplomatic tension between the two nations, with Australia pushing for the prisoners’ return for years.
In 2015, Indonesia executed the two Australian leaders of the operation, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, an event that strained relations between the two countries. At the time, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described their executions as a “dark moment” in bilateral ties.
Last month, Albanese raised the issue with Indonesia’s newly elected President, Prabowo Subianto, during the APEC Summit in Peru. Indonesia’s Law Minister confirmed that the remaining prisoners would be returned following the meeting.
“I thank President Prabowo Subianto for his compassion,” Albanese wrote in his social media post.
In a joint statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, alongside Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, expressed that the men would be given the chance to continue their rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia.
Case Background
The Bali Nine were arrested after a tip-off from Australian authorities in 2005.
Chan and Sukumaran were sentenced to death, while the remaining members, including the five released, were initially sentenced to life imprisonment. One other member, Renae Lawrence, was released in 2018 after serving 13 years of a 20-year sentence, which had been reduced for good behavior.
Another member of the group, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, passed away from kidney cancer while still incarcerated in 2018.
The case remains a high-profile example of Indonesia’s strict drug laws, under which several foreign nationals continue to be imprisoned for similar offenses.