Indonesia says will execute drug convicts despite outcry

An Indonesian official has announced that Jakarta is determined to execute eight foreign drug convicts, despite a rising wave of international censure led by the United Nations (UN).

The preparations for the executions are “100 percent” complete, Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo told Indonesian news channel, MetroTV, on Sunday.

On Saturday, formal notifications were issued to the eight convicts, who hail from Australia, Nigeria, Brazil and the Philippines, along with an Indonesian prisoner.

“Today, just now, we just finished notifying every convict, nine people except for Serge,” a spokesperson for the Indonesian attorney general’s office, Tony Spontana, told AFP on Saturday.

French national Serge Atlaoui, who had been on death row for drug-related crimes, was granted a temporary reprieve after the French President Francois Hollande pressured Jakarta and warned of “consequences” if its citizen is executed.

All eight convicts lost appeals for clemency from Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has adopted a hard line against drug trafficking and argues that Jakarta is facing a national emergency over drug trafficking.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also urged Indonesia to suspend the death penalty.

“The Secretary General urges President Joko Widodo to urgently consider declaring a moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia, with a view toward abolition,” a spokesperson for Ban said.

The eight convicts have been transported to the maximum-security prison island of Nusakambangan, in which Indonesia keeps prisoners sentenced to death.

Following the announcement that notifications had been issued, Australia renewed appeals through a sustained diplomatic campaign to save its two citizens.

“Nothing can be gained and much will be lost if these two young Australians are executed,” said Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, who added, “I again respectfully call on the president of Indonesia to reconsider his refusal to grant clemency. It is not too late for a change of heart.”

Brazil is also determined to put pressure on Jakarta not to execute Rodrigo Gularte, the Brazilian national among the convicts who allegedly suffers from schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder.

Despite the appeals, Jakarta has shown no sign of willingness to backtrack.

“We note the statement by the UN but we also note that there was no similar statement made when recently two Indonesians were executed,” Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasir Arrmanatha, told AFP, referring to the April executions of Indonesian domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

It was “not the intention of Indonesia” to damage bilateral ties with other countries, he further noted.

More than 138 people are on death row in Indonesia mostly for drug crimes. Drug offenders face harsh punishments, including the death penalty, in the country. About a third of the convicted people are foreigners.

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