List of Australians in international prisons

This is a list of current and former Australian citizens whose detention in prisons outside of Australia or execution is noteworthy. The list includes those whose arrests and / or sentences are considered noteworthy for the following reasons,

the prisoner was arrested and charged and / or convicted of notable crimes whilst abroad.
the prisoner is an otherwise notable person in Australia.

Argentina

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Stephen John Sutton Stephen John Sutton Stephen John Sutton is an Australian man who was imprisoned in Argentina. He was arrested on 4 February 2003 after a joint operation by the Australian Federal Police and Argentine Police. He was charged with narcotics offences and was sentenced in 2005 to 11 years in jail for drug trafficking. He...	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	Drug trafficking	4 February 2003	2014	Sentenced to 11 years. Appeal pending.

Bulgaria

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Jock Palfreeman Jock Palfreeman Jock Palfreeman is an Australian convicted of murder in Bulgaria.In December 2007 Palfreeman was involved in an incident during which Bulgarian student Andrei Monov was fatally stabbed. Palfreeman is alleged to have attacked two male Bulgarian students and stabbed them, killing Monov instantly. ...	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales	Murder	December 2007	-	Appeal pending.

Cambodia

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Gordon Vuong Gordon Vuong Gordon Vuong is a Chinese-Australian currently serving a 13-year sentence in Cambodia for attempting to smuggle 2.1kg of heroin concealed on his body from Phnom Penh to Australia...	Campsie, New South Wales Campsie, New South Wales Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	January 2005	2018	Sentenced to 13 years in May 2005.

Fiji

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Thomas McCosker Thomas McCosker Thomas McCoskar, an Australian, visited Fiji, was arrested, tried and sentenced to two years jail for sodomy. An appeal was raised on the basis of Fiji's constitution outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation...	Warrnambool, Victoria Warrnambool, Victoria -Cityscape:The original City of Warrnambool was a 4x8 grid, with boundaries of Lava Street , Japan Street , Merri Street and Henna Street . In the nineteenth century, it was intended that Fairy Street – with its proximity to the Warrnambool Railway Station – would be the main street of...	Sodomy Sodomy Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"... charges	3 April 2005	28 August 2005	Sentenced to 2 years jail for sodomy Sodomy Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"... . Conviction overturned on constitution Constitution A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is... al grounds on 26 August 2005.

Indonesia

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie , who also works under the name Michelle Lee, is an Australian model. Leslie is best known for her 2005 arrest, conviction and three-month imprisonment for possessing two ecstasy tablets in Bali, Indonesia...	South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	Possession of ecstasy tablets	21 August 2005	19 November 2005	Controversially declared herself a Muslim during her imprisonment. It was alleged that some of her lawyers distributed bribes to secure her freedom.
Andrew Chan Andrew Chan Andrew Chan , an Australian citizen, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chan was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar...	Enfield, New South Wales Enfield, New South Wales Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...	Drug trafficking (Heroin).	17 April 2005		Sentenced to death on 14 February 2006.
Si Yi Chen Si Yi Chen Si Yi Chen , an Australian citizen, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chen was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta together with three others. Police uncovered of heroin in a suitcase in the room. After a criminal trial, on 15...	Doonside, New South Wales Doonside, New South Wales Doonside is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Doonside is located 40 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Featherdale Wildlife Park and the...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 February 2006. Sentence reduced to 20 years on 27 April 2006 Sentence increased to the death penalty on 6 September 2006 Sentence reduced to life imprisonment in March 2008
Michael Czugaj Michael Czugaj Michael William Czugaj , an Australian former glazier from Oxley, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Czugaj was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with of heroin concealed on his body...	Oxley, Queensland Oxley, Queensland Oxley is a south-western suburb of Brisbane located approximately 11 km from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land use....	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 14 February 2006. Sentence reduced to 20 years on 27 April 2006 Sentence increased to life on 6 September 2006
Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen , a Vietnamese–Australian citizen, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Nguyen was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta together with three others. Police uncovered of heroin in a suitcase in the room...	Brisbane, Queensland	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 February 2006. Sentence reduced to 20 years on 27 April 2006 Sentence increased to the death penalty on 6 September 2006 Sentence reduced to life imprisonment in March 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/06/indonesia.australian.smugglers.ap/
Matthew Norman Matthew Norman Matthew James Norman , an Australian citizen, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Norman was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta together with three others. Police uncovered of heroin in a suitcase in the room. After a criminal trial,...	New South Wales	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 February 2006. Sentence reduced to 20 years on 27 April 2006 Sentence increased to the death penalty on 6 September 2006 Sentence reduced to life imprisonment in March 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/06/indonesia.australian.smugglers.ap/
Scott Rush Scott Rush Scott Anthony Rush , an Australian former labourer, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, on his first trip to Bali, Rush was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with of heroin concealed on his body. After a criminal trial, on...	Chelmer, Queensland Chelmer, Queensland Chelmer is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 7 km west of the Brisbane CBD on the Brisbane River. Chelmer is zoned as a residential area, and consists of low-density housing. It has many fine Queenslanders, characterised by wooden verandahs, wide stairways and roofing of...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 13 February 2006. Sentence increased to the death penalty on 6 September 2006 Sentence reduced to life imprisonment on 11 May 2011 on appeal to the Indonesian Supreme Court
Martin Stephens Martin Stephens Martin Eric Stephens , an Australian former bartender, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, on his first trip to Bali, Stephens was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with of heroin taped to his chest and concealed under his...	Towradgi, New South Wales Towradgi, New South Wales Towradgi is a small beach-side suburb approximately 5 km north of Wollongong. Towradgi is a corruption of the aboriginal word "Kow-radgi" meaning "guardian of the sacred stones". On an early map it was called Towroger. Towradgi is served by Towradgi station, opened in 1948...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 14 February 2006.
Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran Myuran Sukumaran (Tamil: (மயூரன் சுகுமாரன்) (born 17 April 1981 in London, England) is an Australian who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Sukumaran was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta with three...	Auburn, New South Wales Auburn, New South Wales Auburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.-History:...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to death on 14 February 2006.
Renae Lawrence Renae Lawrence Renae Lawrence , an Australian former hospitality worker and panel beater, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, on her third trip to Bali, Lawrence was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with of heroin concealed on her body...	Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	17 April 2005		Sentenced to life imprisonment on 13 February 2006. Sentence reduced to 20 years on 27 April 2006
Schapelle Corby Schapelle Corby Schapelle Leigh Corby is an Australian woman convicted of drug smuggling who is imprisoned in Indonesia.Corby is serving a 20-year sentence for the importation of of cannabis into Bali, Indonesia...	Brisbane, Queensland	Drug trafficking (Cannabis Cannabis (drug) Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana... )	8 October 2004	12 April 2024	Sentenced in 2005 to 20 years. Sentence reduced on appeal in 2005 to 15 years. Sentence increased on further appeal in 2005 to 20 years.

A prisoner exchange agreement

Australia-Indonesia Prisoner Exchange Agreement

Although there is an extradition agreement and a 'Treaty of Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters' between Australia and Indonesia, there is currently no formal agreement for prisoner transfer between the two countries...

is currently being negotiated between Australia and Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

Israel

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Denis Michael Rohan			23 August 1969	Died 1995	Arson

Italy

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Laszlo Toth	Melbourne, Victoria	Vandalism	21 May 1972	9 February 1975	Vandalised Michelangelo Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art... 's Pietà Pietà (Michelangelo) The Pietà is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres, who was a representative in... statue

Kuwait

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Tallaal Adrey Tallaal Adrey Tallaal Adrey is an Australian citizen from Auburn, New South Wales, sentenced to four years imprisonment in Kuwait on terrorism related charges.-References:*...	Auburn, New South Wales	Weapons possession Weapons trading Ammunition possession Ammunition trading	14 February 2005	2009	Sentenced to 4 years.

Laos

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Kerry and Kay Danes Kerry and Kay Danes Kerry Arthur Danes and Kay Frances Danes are an Australian husband and wife who were controversially arrested on 23 December 2000 by authorities in Laos. The Danes were detained without charge in a detention centre in Vientiane, Laos for six months until formal charges were laid on 13 June 2001...	Brisbane, Queensland	Destruction of Evidence, Embezzlement of State Assets, Violation of Lao Tax Regulations	23 December 2000	6 November 2001	Pardoned 6 November 2001.

Malaysia

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Kevin Barlow	Perth, Western Australia	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	9 November 1983	Executed	Executed by hanging on 7 July 1986.
Brian Chambers	Perth, Western Australia	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	9 November 1983	Executed	Executed by hanging on 7 July 1986.
Michael McAuliffe	Sydney, New South Wales	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	29 June 1985	Executed	Executed by hanging in June 1993.

Singapore

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Van Tuong Nguyen Van Tuong Nguyen Van Tuong Nguyen baptised Caleb, was an Australian from Melbourne, Victoria convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore...	Melbourne, Victoria	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	12 December 2002	Executed	Executed by hanging on 2 December 2005.

Somalia

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Nigel Brennan	Brisbane		23 August 2008	25 November 2009

South Africa (Limpopo)

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant Breaker Morant Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker"...	Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia	War Crimes	24 October 1901	Executed	Executed by shooting on 27 February 1902.

Thailand

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Warren Fellows Warren Fellows Warren Fellows is a former Australian drug courier who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand in 1978 for his role in a heroin trafficking operation that took place from Perth to Bangkok.-Early life:...	Sydney, New South Wales	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	11 October 1978	11 January 1990	Sentenced to life, received a pardon.
Holly Deane-Johns Holly Deane-Johns Holly Deane-Johns is an Australian woman convicted in Thailand of attempting to post a parcel of 11 grams heroin back to Australia. Further quantities of 15 grams of heroin was found in her Bangkok apartment and another 110 grams in the residence of her companion Robert Halliwell...	Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	August 2000		Sentenced to 31 years. Transferred to Bandyup Women's Prison Bandyup Women's Prison Bandyup Women's Prison is located in the northeastern rural suburb of West Swan, Western Australia. Prior to its construction, the female prisoners were at Fremantle Prison, which was overcrowded and offered women limited opportunities.... in Australia in late 2007.
Robert Halliwell	Sydney, New South Wales	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	August 2000		Arrested with Deane-Johns whilst attempting to post heroin to Australia. Police later found another 110 grams of heroin in Halliwell's apartment. Sentenced to 31 years.
Nola Blake Nola Blake Nola Blake is an Australian woman who in 1987 was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand for drug trafficking and subsequently sentenced to death. Her sentence was later commuted to life in prison...	Botany, New South Wales Botany, New South Wales Botany is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Botany is located 10 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the City of Botany Bay....	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	January 1987	March 1998	Originally sentenced to death, later communted to life in prison. Received a Royal Pardon
Paul Hayward Paul Hayward Paul Hayward was a former professional rugby league player and boxer who played for the Newtown Jets between 1973 and 1978. Hayward had been selected to represent Australia as a boxer at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...	Sydney, New South Wales	Drug trafficking (Heroin)	11 October 1978	7 April 1989	Sentenced to 30 years, received a pardon.

A prisoner exchange agreement exists between Australia and Thailand allowing prisoner transfers.

United States

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Mamdouh Habib Mamdouh Habib Mamdouh Habib is an Egyptian born Australian Muslim best known for his extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism....	Sydney, New South Wales	5 October 2001	28 January 2005
David Hicks David Hicks David Matthew Hicks is an Australian who was convicted by the United States of America Guantanamo Military Commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2006, on charges of providing material support for terrorism...	Adelaide, South Australia		November 2001	1 January 2008	Prisoner of the US Government held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... on unlawful combatant Unlawful combatant An unlawful combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a civilian who directly engages in armed conflict in violation of the laws of war. An unlawful combatant may be detained or prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action.The Geneva Conventions apply in wars... charges. Returned to Australia on 20 May 2007 to serve the remaining nine months of his sentence in Yatala Labour Prison Yatala Labour Prison Yatala Labour Prison is a low- to high-security men's prison in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1854 to enable prisoners to work at the creek, quarrying rock for roads and construction... , Adelaide..
Jean-Philippe Wispelaere Jean-Philippe Wispelaere Jean-Philippe Wispelaere is a former intelligence analyst for the Australian Defence Intelligence Organisation. He was convicted of attempting to sell United States military secrets to a foreign country in 1999....	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory	Espionage Espionage Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...	15 May 1999	2015?	Former Defence Intelligence Organisation Defence Intelligence Organisation The Defence Intelligence Organisation is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for assessing intelligence obtained from or provided by other Australian and foreign intelligence agencies, supporting Defence and Government decision-making and the planning and conduct of Australian... officer who sought to sell secrets to a foreign power.

Yugoslavia

Prisoner	\|Convictions	\|Release date		Steve Pratt Steve Pratt Stephen George "Steve" Pratt is a former Australian military officer, aid worker and Liberal politician in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Brindabella.- Early career :...	Brindabella, Australian Capital Territory	Espionage Espionage Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...	1999	September 2001	Former Australian military officer, aid worker and Liberal politician

Argentina

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Fiji

Indonesia

Israel

Italy

Kuwait

Laos

Malaysia

Singapore

Somalia

South Africa (Limpopo)

Thailand

United States

Yugoslavia

See also