Coordinating Minister Yusril: Reynhard Sinaga-Hambalii Is Not A Priority For Government Repatriation

Coordinating Minister for Kumham Imipas Yusril Ihza Mahendra during a working meeting with Commission I of the DPR, Tuesday (11/2/2025). ANTARA/HO-Kumham Imipas

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections (Menko Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the plan to repatriate convicts of sexual violence cases in the UK, Reynhard Sinaga, and terrorism suspects detained in prison, Hambali, is not the government's main priority to be sent home at this time.

"About Hambali and about Reynhard, I have emphasized that the case of these two people is not a priority for the government to immediately repatriate the person concerned here," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 11.

This was conveyed by him in response to questions in the working meeting of Commission I of the DPR with the Deputy Coordinating Minister for Kumham Imipas Otto Hasibuan and the Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (Wamenko Polkam) Lodewijk F. Paulus.

However, Yusril emphasized that the government is still considering the cases of Reynhard and Hambali because it is the responsibility of the state to pay attention to its citizens, even though they are abroad.

"No matter how wrong, no matter how wrong we are, we don't like what he does, he even humiliates us, but the responsibility of the state is inseparable from it because every citizen everywhere is the responsibility of the government to pay attention, protection and defense," he said.

Regarding the Reynhard case, Yusril explained that according to the law in force in England itself, he was only allowed to apply for relief after serving 30 years in prison.

"It is even possible that if there is a state asking for a transfer, it will also take 30 years. So it is not easy because it is a very difficult case," he said.

As for the Hambali case, which has been detained in prison for more than two decades without a judicial process, Yusril explained that the government had asked the United States government to immediately try the person concerned, but there has been no significant development regarding Hambali's legal process to date.

"Encouraging the American government to ask the person concerned to be tried, but to this day it has never been tried. So it is also a matter of terrorism on one party, on the other side of the Human Rights issue as well. We have not had a rather detailed discussion regarding (returning) Hambali," he said.

Coordinating Minister Yusril also said that the government's attention was not only focused on the two cases.

"So there are more other cases that need to be handled, such as around 54 Indonesian citizens who are sentenced to death in Malaysia, as well as Saudi Arabia," he continued.

Yusril then reiterated, "I have answered that Reynhard is not a priority for us, yes, because we are facing a lot of similar cases that occur in Saudi Arabia, as well as in Malaysia and that is our priority to solve."