KontraS Criticizes Death Penalty Sentenced to Ferdy Sambo
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14 February 2023 00:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) criticized the death penalty sentenced to Ferdy Sambo for the murder of Brigadier Nofriansah Yosua Hutabarat. KontraS stated that the punishment was not in line with the spirit of the moratorium on executions since 2016.
"The imposition of the death penalty is not in line with the spirit of a moratorium on executions," said KontraS Coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti on Monday, February 13, 2023.
According to Fatia, the government has not signed the death penalty moratorium yet. However, the death penalty has never been rendered in Indonesia since 2017. Fatia also said that KontraS' criticism did not only apply to the Sambo’s case.
KontraS, she emphasized, rejected all death penalty imposed on anyone. "It is important to understand that abolishing the death penalty does not mean supporting criminal acts," Fatia remarked.
The South Jakarta District Court sentenced Ferdy Sambo to death for the premeditated murder of Brigadier Nofriansah Yosua Hutabarat. The panel of judges led by Wahyu Iman Santoso asserted that Ferdy had been proven to be the mastermind behind the murder of his own aide. This sentence was heavier than the prosecutor's demand of life imprisonment.
Fatia added that in the Sambo case, both the court and the government should emphasize the need for police reform given that the case involved police officers from various ranks.
The police and prosecutors also investigated obstruction of justice cases. After the murder occurred on July 8, 2022, the former two-star general ordered his aides to destroy evidence in the form of CCTV footage. Six police officers were then brought to court for obstructing the investigations.
Fatia further expressed worries that the death penalty would not provide a solution to the need for police reform. "We are worried that the death penalty is just a way to simplify police reform," she explained.
M ROSSENO AJI
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