French Man on Death Row in Indonesia Set to Go Home

A French national who was sentenced to death for alleged drug-related offences in Indonesia almost two decades ago was set to go home on Tuesday, according to authorities at the Indonesian prison.

Why was Atlaoui allowed to return to France?
Serge Atlaoui was sentenced to death in 2007. But Paris stepped up pressure following the sentencing, with Atlaoui having won a last-minute reprieve from execution in 2015.

Atlaoui made a direct plea to the Indonesian government last December to be returned home, requesting to serve the rest of his sentence in France.

The 61-year-old father of four is reportedly suffering from cancer. On January 24, Jakarta and Paris agreed to his transfer.

In the agreement, Jakarta said Atlaoui was allowed to be returned on "humanitarian grounds" because he was ill. The Frenchman has been receiving hospital medical treatment on a weekly basis.

Atlaoui escorted to airport to catch Paris-bound flight 
Atlaoui was driven from Salemba prison in Jakarta and escorted to the city's main airport on Tuesday, as he prepared to board a commercial flight due to land in Paris on Wednesday morning.

Once he is in France, Atlaoui will be presented to prosecutors "and most likely detained while awaiting a decision on the adaptation [of his sentence]," his lawyer Richard Sedillot told the French AFP news agency.

"Serge is happy and calm," Sedillot said. "But he is going to need a little bit of time to reorganize himself."

Arrested in 2005, Atlaoui was accused of being a "chemist" involved in the manufacturing of the psychedelic drug MDMA in a factory on the outskirts of Jakarta.

He has maintained his innocence over the past 19 years, and his lawyers say he worked as a welder at the factory and had no understanding of the nature of the chemicals on the premises.

Indonesia's strict drug laws
Indonesia is notorious for its significantly harsh drug laws, which are among the toughest worldwide.

But in recent times, foreign prisoners were transferred back to their countries. Jakarta is considering new rules on prison transfers and amnesty in its attempt to ease congestion in overcrowded prisons.

Indonesia in December transferred home the five remaining members of the "Bali Nine" drug ring to serve their sentences in their home country of Australia, at Canberra's request.

Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso, arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin, was reunited with her family in December after nearly 15 years on Indonesia's death row.