News item | 02-12-2025 | 14:18
The Netherlands and Indonesia have reached an agreement on the return of two Dutch nationals who had been detained in Indonesia for years. The two detainees will therefore soon be transferred to the Netherlands. This concerns a 73-year-old Dutch man who had been in detention in Indonesia since 2008 and a 64-year-old Dutch man who had been in custody since 2015. Both were in custody for a drug offense. The Netherlands had requested the return of these two people for humanitarian reasons. Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel and the Indonesian Minister of Justice and Human Rights Prof. Yusril Ihza Mahendra signed an agreement online on Tuesday to ratify the return of these detainees.
This agreement (MoU, Memorandum of Understanding) is the result of diplomatic efforts and good cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia. The Netherlands is very grateful to the Indonesian authorities for their cooperation and decision to allow the two detainees to return to the Netherlands on humanitarian grounds.
Once the final formalities have been completed, it is expected that the two Dutch people will arrive in the Netherlands within two weeks. Employees of the Dutch Probation Service (Foreign Office) will accompany them on their return.