The five remaining members of the notorious Bali Nine drug ring have returned home after nearly 20 years in Indonesian prisons.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the returns of Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj in a statement on Sunday. He said he was “pleased to confirm” they had “returned to Australia”.
He thanked Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto “for his compassion.”
The high-profile case began in 2005 when Indonesia caught nine young Australians trying to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin strapped to their bodies from Bali.
Which were eight men and one woman arrested at an airport and hotel in Bali following a tip-off from Australian police.
The case made headlines around the world as two of the gang’s ringleaders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were present Executed by firing squad in 2015 – sparked a diplomatic row between neighbors Indonesia and Australia.
After the executions, Australia reminded his ambassador to Indonesia, although he returned to Jakarta five weeks later.
Other members of the Bali Nine were sentenced to 20 years or life in prison.
The case put a spotlight on Indonesia’s strict drug laws, which are among the strictest in the world.
One of the nine, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died of cancer in prison in 2018. Shortly afterwards, then 41-year-old Renae Lawrence, the only woman in the group, had her sentence commuted after almost 13 years in prison and she returned to Australia the same year.
With no media present, the five flew on Australian airline Jetstar from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport to Darwin in northern Australia on Sunday, Indonesia’s senior justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told The Associated Press.
Mahendra said they were transferred as “prisoners” and “once repatriated” fell under the jurisdiction of the Australian government. The Indonesian president had not granted them a pardon.
“The men will have the opportunity to continue their personal rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia,” the Australian government said.
It expressed its “deep appreciation” to Indonesia for allowing them to return to their homeland on humanitarian grounds.
The Australian broadcaster ABC reported that the men were effectively free to live unhindered in Australian society.
The Albanian government had previously negotiated the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from Britain, journalist Cheng Lei from China and economist Sean Turnell from a prison in Myanmar.
Albanese acknowledged the men had committed serious crimes but said it was time for them to return home after 19 years in Indonesian prisons.
