Five members of Bali Nine ‘relieved and happy’ to be free men in Australia

The five remaining members of the Bali Nine have arrived home as free men who will not have to spend any more time behind bars.

The five remaining members of the Bali Nine jailed in Indonesia have arrived home as free men after spending 19 years behind bars for drug smuggling.

Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen touched down in Darwin on Sunday afternoon after travelling on a commercial flight escorted by Australian embassy officials from Indonesia.

A cloak of secrecy surrounded the operation following the formal signing of a prisoner transfer deal last week, with Indonesia and Australia opting to keep the agreement quiet until hours after their arrival when Anthony Albanese confirmed the five men were home.

The Prime Minister said the group had committed “serious offences” and insisted his government shared Indonesia’s concerns about the problem of illicit drugs, but he argued the five Australians had been imprisoned long enough and it had been “time for them to come home”.

Under the prisoner transfer deal there was no “quid pro quo” arrangement where Australia would be returning Indonesian citizens in exchange for the Bali Nine members.

Bali Nine members Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens, and Michael Czugaj. Picture: Supplied

After arriving in Australia, the men were taken to the Howard Springs Accommodation Village, a federal government facility about 20km south of Darwin, where they have voluntarily agreed to spend a short period of time to continue their rehabilitation.

During this rehabilitative stay the five will receive medical care and other supports.

But ultimately there are no legal grounds for their detention going forward, and they will be able to reunite with their families as free men.

BALI NINE BREAK SILENCE

A statement released on behalf of the former prisoners later that night said they were “relieved and happy” to be back in Australia and thanked those who had worked to secure their return.

“In both Australia and Indonesia, at both a senior level and in prison visits and personal assistance, over many years, DFAT have offered professional and enduring support. The men and their families will always be grateful,” the statement said.

“They look forward, in time, to reintegrating back into and contributing to society.

“The welfare of the men is a priority, they will need time and support, and we hope and trust our media and community will make allowance for this.”

THE DEAL

The government had long been advocating for the “compassionate” return of the five, who were arrested alongside four other Australians in 2005 trying to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin out of Bali.

Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death and executed on 29 April, 2015.

Tan Duc Than Nguyen died in a Jakarta hospital in 2018, while the only woman of the group Renae Lawrence, was released in 2018 after her life sentence was successfully reduced to 20 years on appeal.

For the remaining five members, Australia had argued for a “sentence conversion” to the equivalent standard in their home country where “life” equates to about 20 years imprisonment.

Indonesia conducts select sentence conversions on their National Day, August 17, but the imminent inauguration of the country’s new President Prabowo Subianto meant that annual event did not occur this year.

Instead Australia requested the transfer of the prisoners on humanitarian grounds, which Mr Prabowo was supportive of as a show of the close and important relationship between the two countries.

It is understood Mr Prabowo played a critical role in the deal being finalised, having given a clear commitment to work with Australia when he met with Mr Albanese on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru in November.

PRIME MINISTER’S RESPONSE

Following the successful transfer, Mr Albanese praised Mr Prabowo for his “act of compassion” and said the outcome reflected the “very strong relationship” that existed between their two countries.

“Australia respects Indonesia’s sovereignty and legal processes and we appreciate Indonesia’s compassionate consideration of this matter,” he said.

“The government will continue to co-operate with Indonesia to counter narcotics trafficking and transnational crime.”

“This outcome reflects the very strong relationship that exists between Indonesia and Australia.”

Mr Albanese said he asked media to “respect the privacy of the men and their families at this time”.

CONDITIONS OF RELEASE

Several of the Bali Nine members are married and have children, but their Indonesian families did not travel with them on the journey to Australia.

It is understood they will be able to come to the country through normal visa application processes in the future. One condition on the five Bali Nine members is that they are not permitted to travel back to Indonesia in the future.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke last week signed the deal that brought the prisoner transfer into effect, as did his Indonesian counterpart, Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Institutions Coordinating Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra.

The pair had met the week earlier in Jakarta, but the deal was not finalised or signed at this time. Instead it was authorised remotely.

SUPPORTERS REACT

Current Bishop of Townsville Tim Harris, who was the former parish priest of Bali Nine members Rush and Czugaj, said he was “delighted” to hear of their return.

“What a wonderful Christmas present for the families in particular,” he said.

“After 20 years or so in prison in a foreign country the time is now right.”

Mr Harris said the men’s families would “now be hopefully in a better position to help their sons heal in what has been a traumatic experience”.

“The families themselves need healing too for they have endured a pain that none of us could ever imagine,” he said.

ARRIVAL ANNOUNCED

In a joint statement earlier on Sunday afternoon, Mr Albanese, Mr Burke and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong confirmed the five Australians had returned to Australia.

“The five men committed serious offences, serving over 19 years in prison in Indonesia,” the statement said.

“We would like to convey our deep appreciation to the government of Indonesia for its co-operation to facilitate the men’s return to Australia on humanitarian grounds.

“This reflects the strong bilateral relationship and mutual respect between Indonesia and Australia.”

The PM and ministers said the Australian government had “consistently advocated for the men and provided consular support to them and their families”.

“The men will have the opportunity to continue their personal rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia,” the statement said.

Originally published as Five members of Bali Nine ‘relieved and happy’ to be free men in Australia