No Diplomatic Communication Yet on Reynhard Sinaga's Repatriation, Says Foreign Ministry

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat, also known as Roy, spoke about the plan to repatriate , who is currently imprisoned in the UK, to Indonesia. He confirmed that there has been no official communication regarding this matter.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any formal diplomatic communication regarding this repatriation plan," Roy said during a press conference at the Foreign Affairs Ministry office in Central Jakarta on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Reynhard Sinaga is an Indonesian citizen who was convicted in the UK for sexual assault. He has reportedly faced violence in prison, and his family has requested his repatriation to Indonesia.

Roy mentioned that the Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections is monitoring this issue. Nevertheless, Roy ensured that the Foreign Affairs Ministry would assist in coordinating with relevant parties in handling Reynhard Sinaga's case.

On a separate occasion, Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the idea of repatriation originated from Reynhard Sinaga's family. "It's a request from his family and we are still examining and exploring it," said Yusril in a video statement received by Tempo, on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Additionally, Yusril mentioned that the government cannot simply disregard its responsibility towards Indonesian citizens who are detained abroad.

"To the layperson, this may not seem important, but that approach cannot be taken because it concerns the relationship between the two countries," he said.

Yusril stated that the government is currently devising steps to repatriate Reynhard, involving coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Immigration and Law Enforcement.

"Whether there will be any British detainees repatriated or not in exchange. This is currently being assessed," he added.

, 41, was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 40 years, by the Manchester court in January 2020. He was convicted of 159 counts of sexual assault against 48 different men.

Nadito Putra and Sita Planasari contributed to the writing of this article.

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