Justice Minister Comments on Death Sentence of Child Convict  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly expects evaluation of Indonesia’s justice system following a revelation that a child convict named Yusman Telaumbanua was sentenced to death penalty. “We expect no repetition,” he said yesterday at the Presidential Palace compound in Jakarta.

Minister Yasona believes that the Supreme Court will also make an evaluation on the trial process. He expects that justice mechanism and questioning are conducted based on the applicable regulations.

Read: UN Human Rights Council Urges Indonesia to Abolish Death Sentence

Earlier, report said that a murder convict Yusman Telaumbanua was sentenced to death in Nias in 2013. Human rights watchdog Commission for Missing Person and Victims of Violence (KontraS) later found new evidence that Yusman was still a minor when examination process was conducted.

The new evidence eventually helped Yusman escape death row. KontraS has urged the government to evaluate death penalty in Indonesia.

Moreover, Yasonna Laoly said that Indonesia’s justice system is not yet perfect. On death penalty, he said that there is always room for a more lenient sentence by review process (PK) and clemency. He added that legal process ought to be carried out transparently and open to new evidence.

ADITYA BUDIMAN