Latest news with #conditionalrelease
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Frenchman freed after years on death row in Indonesia
Serge Atlaoui was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. (EPA Images pic) PARIS : A Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France left prison today after being granted a conditional release. Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in eastern France, was flown back to home in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. He was greeted by his lawyer, Richard Sedillot, as he walked out of the gate of Meaux prison near Paris, wearing a white T-shirt and grey trousers. 'He will be able to breathe the freedom that he waited for all these years,' his wife, Sabine Atlaoui, told RTL broadcaster shortly before his release, which she called 'unbelievable'. She had not yet 'fully realised' that her husband 'is back and will be with us again every day', she said. The father of four had his sentence adapted by the French courts to 30 years' imprisonment and then was approved for conditional release. 'The story of Serge Atlaoui, who was sentenced to death, is a life lesson,' Sedillot told AFP while he waited for his client. 'His resilience, his courage, his patience and his humanity are lessons for all of us.' Diplomatic pressure Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilogrammes of drugs were discovered, and accused of being a 'chemist' by the authorities. He has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory. Initially sentenced to life in prison, he had his sentence reviewed by the Indonesia's Supreme Court and changed to death on appeal. He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015 but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed. Atlaoui's case attracted attention in Indonesia and in France, where supporters saw him as a symbol of the fight against the death penalty. France abolished capital punishment in 1981. Pressure applied by the French government was key to her husband's release, Sabine Atlaoui said. 'It's very clear that diplomatic efforts during all those years allowed my husband to return,' she said. Indonesia, which has some of the world's toughest drug laws, has recently released several high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called 'Bali Nine' drug ring.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Frenchman Serge Atlaoui released after years on Indonesia death row
A Frenchman who spent almost two decades on death row in Indonesia over drug offences before being returned to France left prison on Friday after being granted a conditional release. Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in eastern France, was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007. He was greeted by his lawyer, Richard Sedillot, as he walked out of the gate of Meaux prison near Paris, wearing a white T-shirt and grey trousers. "He will be able to breathe the freedom that he waited for for all these years," his wife, Sabine Atlaoui, told RTL broadcaster shortly before his release, which she called "unbelievable". She had not yet "fully realised" that her husband "is back and will be with us again every day", she said. The father of four had his sentence adapted by the French courts to 30 years' imprisonment and then was approved for conditional release. "The story of Serge Atlaoui, who was sentenced to death, is a life lesson," Sedillot told AFP while he waited for his client. "His resilience, his courage, his patience and his humanity are lessons for all of us." Diplomatic pressure Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilogrammes (pounds) of drugs were discovered, and accused of being a "chemist" by the authorities. He has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory. Initially sentenced to life in prison, he had his sentence reviewed by the Indonesia's supreme court and changed to death on appeal. He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015 but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed. Atlaoui's case attracted attention in Indonesia and in France, where supporters saw him as a symbol of the fight against the death penalty. France abolished capital punishment in 1981. Pressure applied by the French government was key to her husband's release, Sabine Atlaoui said. "It's very clear that diplomatic efforts during all those years allowed my husband to return," she said. Indonesia, which has some of the world's toughest drug laws, has recently released several high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called "Bali Nine" drug ring.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
Judge OKs release plan for woman who stabbed a classmate to please Slender Man
A judge has approved a conditional release plan for a Wisconsin woman who nearly killed her classmate years ago to please the fictional horror character Slender Man. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner signed off Thursday on the plan to release Morgan Geyser, now 22, from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, a psychiatric hospital where she has spent the last seven years. In April, prosecutors objected to Geyser's original conditional release plan after the mother of the victim, Payton Leutner, expressed concern that Geyser's group home was located eight miles away from Leutner. The judge then ordered the Department of Health Services to draft a new plan, which was approved Thursday. Details of the plan were not shared in court. Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured Leutner to a Waukesha park after a sleepover in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier egged her on. All three girls were 12 years old at the time. Geyser and Weier fled after the attack but were arrested as they were walking on Interstate 94. They told investigators they attacked Leutner to earn the right to be Slender Man's servants and feared he would hurt their families if they didn't follow through. They had planned to walk to Slender Man's mansion in northern Wisconsin after the attack, they said. Leutner barely survived the attack. Geyser ultimately pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in 2017 but claimed she wasn't responsible because she was mentally ill. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren committed her to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years in 2018, but the judge ruled in January she could be released after three experts testified she has made progress battling mental illness. State health officials argued in March that Geyser couldn't be trusted after learning that she hadn't told her therapists that she had read a novel about murder and black market organ sales. They also alleged that she had been communicating with a man who collects murder memorabilia and sent him her own sketch of a decapitated body and a postcard saying she wants to be intimate with him. Cotton countered that Geyser only read what the facility allowed and staff knew she had been communicating with the collector. He added that she stopped talking to the man in 2024 after she discovered he was selling things she sent him. Bohren concluded that Geyser wasn't trying to hide anything and ordered state health officials to continue developing a release plan. Wagner took over Geyser's release request after Bohren retired this past April. Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon in 2017 but, like Geyser, claimed she was mentally ill and not responsible for her actions. She was committed to 25 years in a mental hospital but was granted release in 2021 after agreeing to live with her father and to wear a GPS monitor. The case has drawn widespread attention in part because of the girls' fascination with the Slender Man character. Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudson in 2009 as a mysterious specter photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He's typically depicted as a slim, spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. He has grown into a popular boogeyman and has appeared in video games, online stories, and a 2018 movie.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Judge OKs release plan for woman who stabbed a classmate to please Slender Man
A judge has approved a conditional release plan for a Wisconsin woman who nearly killed her classmate years ago to please the fictional horror character Slender Man. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner signed off Thursday on the plan to release Morgan Geyser, now 22, from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, a psychiatric hospital where she has spent the last seven years. In April, prosecutors objected to Geyser's original conditional release plan after the mother of the victim, Payton Leutner, expressed concern that Geyser's group home was located eight miles away from Leutner. The judge then ordered the Department of Health Services to draft a new plan, which was approved Thursday. Details of the plan were not shared in court. Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, lured Leutner to a Waukesha park after a sleepover in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier egged her on. All three girls were 12 years old at the time. Geyser and Weier fled after the attack but were arrested as they were walking on Interstate 94. They told investigators they attacked Leutner to earn the right to be Slender Man's servants and feared he would hurt their families if they didn't follow through. They had planned to walk to Slender Man's mansion in northern Wisconsin after the attack, they said. Leutner barely survived the attack. Geyser ultimately pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in 2017 but claimed she wasn't responsible because she was mentally ill. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren committed her to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years in 2018, but the judge ruled in January she could be released after three experts testified she has made progress battling mental illness. State health officials argued in March that Geyser couldn't be trusted after learning that she hadn't told her therapists that she had read a novel about murder and black market organ sales. They also alleged that she had been communicating with a man who collects murder memorabilia and sent him her own sketch of a decapitated body and a postcard saying she wants to be intimate with him. Cotton countered that Geyser only read what the facility allowed, and staff knew she had been communicating with the collector. He added that she stopped talking to the man in 2024 after she discovered he was selling things she sent him. Bohren concluded that Geyser wasn't trying to hide anything and ordered state health officials to continue developing a release plan. Wagner took over Geyser's release request after Bohren retired this past April. Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon in 2017, but like Geyser claimed she was mentally ill and not responsible for her actions. She was committed to 25 years in a mental hospital but was granted release in 2021 after agreeing to live with her father and to wear a GPS monitor. The case has drawn widespread attention in part because of the girls' fascination with the Slender Man character. Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudson in 2009 as a mysterious specter photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He's typically depicted as a slim, spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. He has grown into a popular boogeyman and has appeared in video games, online stories and a 2018 movie.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Judge OKs release plan for woman who stabbed a classmate to please Slender Man
A judge has approved a conditional release plan for a Wisconsin woman who nearly killed her classmate years ago to please the fictional horror character Slender Man. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner signed off Thursday on the plan to release Morgan Geyser, now 22, from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, a psychiatric hospital where she has spent the last seven years. In April, prosecutors objected to Geyser's original conditional release plan after the mother of the victim, Payton Leutner, expressed concern that Geyser's group home was located eight miles away from Leutner. The judge then ordered the Department of Health Services to draft a new plan, which was approved Thursday. Details of the plan were not shared in court. Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, lured Leutner to a Waukesha park after a sleepover in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier egged her on. All three girls were 12 years old at the time. Geyser and Weier fled after the attack but were arrested as they were walking on Interstate 94. They told investigators they attacked Leutner to earn the right to be Slender Man's servants and feared he would hurt their families if they didn't follow through. They had planned to walk to Slender Man's mansion in northern Wisconsin after the attack, they said. Leutner barely survived the attack. Geyser ultimately pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in 2017 but claimed she wasn't responsible because she was mentally ill. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren committed her to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years in 2018, but the judge ruled in January she could be released after three experts testified she has made progress battling mental illness. State health officials argued in March that Geyser couldn't be trusted after learning that she hadn't told her therapists that she had read a novel about murder and black market organ sales. They also alleged that she had been communicating with a man who collects murder memorabilia and sent him her own sketch of a decapitated body and a postcard saying she wants to be intimate with him. Cotton countered that Geyser only read what the facility allowed, and staff knew she had been communicating with the collector. He added that she stopped talking to the man in 2024 after she discovered he was selling things she sent him. Bohren concluded that Geyser wasn't trying to hide anything and ordered state health officials to continue developing a release plan. Wagner took over Geyser's release request after Bohren retired this past April. Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon in 2017, but like Geyser claimed she was mentally ill and not responsible for her actions. She was committed to 25 years in a mental hospital but was granted release in 2021 after agreeing to live with her father and to wear a GPS monitor. The case has drawn widespread attention in part because of the girls' fascination with the Slender Man character. Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudson in 2009 as a mysterious specter photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He's typically depicted as a slim, spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. He has grown into a popular boogeyman and has appeared in video games, online stories and a 2018 movie.
