REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Australian jails will release for Indonesians and return them to Indonesia, a press release cites from the Australian embassy in Jakarta on Friday. The releases are following a review of their cases by the Australian Attorney General’s Department. Last month, three Indonesians were also released after the review. 

Australian policy is to repatriate minors (underage person in law term -ed) caught in people-smuggling ventures, unless they return on a second venture. Since September 2008, a total of 147 Indonesian nationals have been returned to Indonesia on the basis that they were likely to be minors at the time of their offence. 

In addition, the Australian Government has identified 28 cases of suspected minors convicted of people smuggling offences and incarcerated in Australian jails. These cases are being reviewed at the request of Australia’s Attorney General Nicola Roxon following domestic and international appeals from the Human Rights Commission and Indonesian authorities, including Foreign Minister Dr Marty Natalegawa.

The current releases involve Indonesians convicted of people-smuggling offences who claimed at some point to be minors, even if they subsequently told the court they were adults. Individuals are considered for release based on further information from Indonesia and elsewhere if that raises doubt about whether they may have been minors at the time of the offence.

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