Govt told to set deadline for executions<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Legal experts urged the government on Sunday to impose a deadline
\nfor the execution of convicts sentenced to death to avoid double
\npunishment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is almost certain to
\nbe named president on Oct. 5, said Indonesia's legal system
\nshould maintain capital punishment in dealing with extraordinary
\ncrimes, saying such punishment would provide justice.<\/p>\n
Noted lawyer and human rights activist Luhut M. Pangaribuan
\nsaid authorities should give priority to appeals filed by
\nconvicts sentenced to death and execute them within a year of
\nsentencing, if they have exhausted all other legal avenues
\navailable.<\/p>\n
\"Aside from controversy over the existence of capital
\npunishment itself, it should be a main priority for the judiciary
\nto carry out the death sentence in less than a year after the
\nverdict. The authorities can do that if they want to,\" said
\nLuhut.<\/p>\n
Two Thai nationals -- Namsong Sirilak, 32, and Saelow Prasert,
\n62 -- were executed in the early hours of Friday, more than eight
\nyears after they were sentenced to death in 1996 for drug
\ntrafficking.<\/p>\n
Sirilak and Prasert, along with Indian national, Ayodhya
\nPrasadh Chaubey, were arrested in 1994, for carrying 12 kilograms
\nof heroin. Chaubey was executed in August this year.<\/p>\n
The long delay in their execution has raised concerns that the
\nthree were serving two sentences -- death and imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Over 20 other convicts are still on death row. Three of them
\nhave been imprisoned for 12 years while two others have been in
\nprison since 1993 and 1994 respectively. The authorities have
\ngiven no clues as to when they would be executed.<\/p>\n
According to existing laws, convicts on death row may appeal
\nto a higher court, and ask for sentence review from the Supreme
\nCourt. If the courts reject their pleas, they can request a
\npresidential clemency twice.<\/p>\n
Death-row convicts whose pleas for clemency have been rejected
\nare Samuel Iwuchekwu Okoye, 34, Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa, 37, both
\nfrom Nigeria, Indra Bahadur Tamang, 24, from Nepal, Muhammad
\nAbdul Hafez, 36, from Pakistan and Namaona Denis, 39, from
\nMalawi.<\/p>\n
Three other drug traffickers are also facing execution after
\ntheir pleas for clemency were turned down last year. They are all
\nIndonesian -- Deni Setia Maharwan, Meirika Franola and Rani
\nAndriani.<\/p>\n
Luhut criticized the judicial authorities for their tardiness
\nin deciding the fate of convicts on death row, saying that in
\nmost cases authorities seemed to ignore pleas for clemency.<\/p>\n
Rudy Satrio, a criminal law expert from the School of Law at
\nthe University of Indonesia, acknowledged loopholes in the
\ncountry's legal system concerning the maximum period death-row
\nconvicts had to wait for their execution.<\/p>\n
\"We have no law regulating when convicts must be executed.
\nThat's why we have proposed in the draft bill on legal procedures
\nthat the state change capital punishment to life if a convict is
\nnot executed within 10 years,\" said Rudy.<\/p>\n
He said if the bill was approved by the House next year
\npractically no more executions were expected as long as the
\nconvict showed a willingness to change his or her attitude.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Susilo said over the weekend that cases that carry
\ncapital punishment must be done in a fair, transparent and
\naccountable manner.<\/p>\n
\"In the case of certain crimes that hurt people's sense of
\njustice, I think capital punishment is one among numerous
\nsentences that should be considered by judges. In many countries,
\nsuch a punishment works well as a deterrent,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-told-to-set-deadline-for-executions-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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