Coordinating Minister Yusril: Reynhard Sinaga May Be Placed In Nusakambangan

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections (Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the convict for life in the case of Reynhard Sinaga's sexual assault may be placed in the Nusakambangan Correctional Institution, if approved for his repatriation to Indonesia by the British government.

"This person must be put in a prison with maximum security and it only exists in Nusakambangan, because if it is treated like an ordinary prisoner, it will cause new problems again," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 6.

Currently, his party has just had initial talks with the British government regarding Reynhard's planned repatriation to Indonesia.

Deeper talks with the British government, he continued, will continue, especially regarding the cooperation scheme that will be used in Reynhard's repatriation, either through the transfer of prisoners or exchange of prisoners (exchange of PRISONers), to reach the best agreement.

The reason, said Yusril, is that there are also British citizens (WN) who are currently serving sentences in Indonesia.

He emphasized that the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Human Rights, Imipas RI, also continues to coordinate with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the planned repatriation.

As for the efforts to repatriate Reynhard, he said, one of them came from the request of the Reynhard family to his party.

Despite the mistakes made by Reynhard, the Coordinating Minister emphasized that the State is obliged to defend proportionally against its citizens who are convicted in other countries.

"We can't just say we don't like the person, then we don't take care of it. We act on behalf of the state, not personally," he said.

Reynhard Sinaga is an Indonesian citizen (WNI) who was sentenced to life in 2020 by the Manchester Court, England, after being found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting 48 British men.

Reynhard committed the crime for about two and a half years. The judge said Reynhard had to serve 30 years in prison, before being allowed to file a pardon.

Recently, Reynhard was attacked by other inmates in British prisons, who threatened his life. The convict who attacked Reynhard is currently being tried by the Manchester Court.