Ailing French man on death row pleads to return home as Indonesia to pardon 44,000 prisoners

Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities say an ailing French national on death row for drug offenses has made a last-ditch plea to be returned home. Serge Atlaoui has spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prison. He won a last-minute reprieve in 2015 and was excluded from being executed by a 13-member firing squad. The father of four, who turned 61 on Monday and is reportedly suffering from cancer, wrote to the Indonesian government requesting to serve the rest of his sentence in his home country. The new administration of President Prabowo Subianto is planning to give pardon to 44,000 inmates nationwide. Subianto has surprised the nation with the clemency plan, barely two months after he took office.