Indonesia and the Netherlands have finalized a diplomatic arrangement allowing the transfer of two elderly Dutch citizens, both convicted of substantial drug trafficking offenses, back to Europe. The repatriation, secured on humanitarian grounds, sees one man released from a death sentence and the other from a life term in Indonesian prisons, marking a significant outcome of bilateral cooperation between Jakarta and The Hague. The Dutch government confirmed the men, scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam on December 8, will now have their future legal status determined by Dutch authorities.
The arrangement was formalized in Jakarta this week, underscoring Indonesia’s increasing willingness to consider compassionate grounds for foreign inmates. Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Law and Human Rights, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, signed the agreement, while Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel participated virtually. Dutch Ambassador Marc Gerritsen, present at the signing, conveyed the Netherlands’ profound appreciation for Jakarta’s flexibility, noting the move would allow the men to be closer to their families after years of incarceration abroad.
Repatriated on Health Grounds
The two men involved in the transfer have served lengthy sentences after convictions for major drug importation rings. Siegfried Mets, 74, was sentenced to death in 2008 following his conviction for trafficking 600,000 ecstasy tablets. He has been detained in Jakarta. The second individual, Ali Tokman, 65, was initially sentenced to death in 2015 for smuggling six kilograms of MDMA, a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment. He was held in Surabaya. Indonesian authorities confirmed both men are in poor health, a primary factor driving the Dutch government’s request for their return.
This diplomatic resolution, approved by Indonesia in October, follows high-level negotiations, with The Hague specifically requesting the return of these two individuals, although five Dutch citizens are currently serving sentences in Indonesian facilities.
A Pattern of Humanitarian Transfers
The repatriation aligns with a recent trend by Jakarta to release and transfer critically ill foreign inmates. Indonesia, which maintains some of the world’s strictest anti-narcotics laws—with the Ministry of Law estimating approximately 500 inmates currently on death row, many for drug offenses—has become more flexible in specific, high-profile cases involving humanitarian considerations.
Recent months have seen several similar transfers:
- November 2025: Two British drug convicts, Lindsay Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, were returned to the United Kingdom.
- February 2025: French national Serge Atlaoui was repatriated after years on Indonesia’s death row for drug-related charges.
These transfers illustrate Indonesia’s balancing act between enforcing firm judicial penalties and demonstrating international humanitarian cooperation. For the Netherlands, this outcome successfully returns its citizens home while relieving the associated consular and health care burdens on Indonesian correctional facilities. The focus now shifts to Amsterdam, where the Dutch justice system will decide the ultimate fate of the two returning long-term convicts.