Final 5 Members of Infamous 'Bali Nine' Drug Ring Return to Australia After 19 Years in Indonesian Prison

Australia has repatriated the last five members of the "Bali Nine," a group convicted in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 18 pounds of heroin out of Indonesia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that Natthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Mihael Czugaj returned to Australia after serving 19 years in Indonesian prisons, reported Reuters.

"These Australians served more than 19 years in prison in Indonesia," Albanese said in an interview with Reuters. "It was time for them to come home."

The men will continue their rehabilitation in Australia but remain banned for life from re-entering Indonesia.

Indonesia facilitated their transfer on "humanitarian grounds," Albanese said.

No pardons were granted, and Indonesia said that the repatriation was not part of a prisoner exchange program but a "reciprocal" gesture, said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia's senior minster for legal affairs in a statement.

The Indonesian government indicated it expects similar cooperation from Australia in the future if needed.

Two ringleaders of the Bali Nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed in 2015 at the Nusakambangan island, despite clemency appeals and Australia offering to pay Indonesia's prison cost to save them from the death penalty.

The execution sparked diplomatic tensions. Tony Abbott, then Prime Minister of Australia, called it "a dark moment in the relationship."

Another member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died of stomach cancer in 2018, and the only woman in the group, Renae Lawrence, was released the same year.

Originally published by Latin Times