Human Rights Group Urges Gov`t to Cancel 3rd Wave of Executions

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Human rights group named Imparsial has called on the government to cancel the third wave of executions. Imparsial director Al Araf said that there was no relevance between the implementation of death penalty and the declining number of crimes in Indonesia.

“Drug convicts are given death penalties, but drugs distribution is not declining,” Al Araf said in a discussion held at Imparsial’s office in Jakarta on Sunday, July 24, 2016.

According to Al Araf, the number of drug-related crimes has increased after the first wave of executions was conducted in 2015, based on data from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN). Al Araf argued that fair law enforcements, rather than the level of punishment, would cause deterrent effects.

Al Araf viewed that the justice system in Indonesia is not yet ideal as reflected by a drug case involving Pakistani national Zulfiqar Ali. Zulfiqar was arrested in 2004 for allegedly possessing 300 grams of heroin. The court imposed a death penalty in June 2005.

Zulfiqar’s lawyer Edward Rajagukguk said that his client was ill-treated and forced to admit the crime. Zulfiqar, who could not speak Indonesian and English was not accompanied by a translator during the questioning. In addition Zulfiqar’s wife admitted that police asked her for money if she wanted her husband to be released.

“This is obviously a justice mafia practice,” Al Araf said.

Al Araf also called on the government to evaluate and review cases involving death row convicts to ensure that the legal process had been conducted properly. He also asked the government to issue a moratorium for executions and remove death penalty.

MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI