AG death penalty for corruption convicts
AG death penalty for corruption convicts
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Pekalongan, Central Java
Attorney General Abdurrahman Saleh said he supported the idea
of the death penalty for corruption, but added that certain legal
obstacles would have to be removed before such a step could be
taken.
"I agree that those involved in corruption should be executed.
We need to take drastic steps to eradicate this crime. If things
that are forbidden under Islamic law are eradicated, sin too will
be eradicated," he said during a Muhammadiyah congress in
Pekalongan on Sunday.
Abdurrahman said those guilty of corruption already could face
the death penalty, but only in certain situations. "The death
penalty can only be applied if the country is in an emergency
situation."
He said firm steps were needed to eradicate corruption, and
the death penalty could play a role in this.
According to the attorney general, the government was already
firm in fighting corruption, even without the death penalty
option.
"However, I will propose (the death penalty) after this
Muhammadiyah congress," he said.
"It has been easy, so far, to get the President's permission
to investigate corruption cases. The President has authorized the
investigation of hundreds of officials, including governors and
regents," he said.
About 170 corruption cases were working their way through the
courts within the first 100 days of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono's administration, Abdurrahman said.
In February, the rights group Impartial said the death
penalty, applied mostly to drug cases, was a betrayal of
citizens' constitutional rights.
"The death penalty is a political tool because the government
wants to look firm and strict by imposing it. But it is a total
violation of human rights," Imparsial director Rachland Nashiddik
said.
The attorney general suggested that the country's method of
execution be changed from firing squad to lethal injection or
hanging, for humanitarian reasons.
"I heard the pain lasts longer when someone is shot. The law
states that the death penalty must be carried out by firing
squad, but that can be changed," he said.
Abdurrahman said that after a conversation with Astini, who
was executed last week for murder, he asked himself if a more
humane way to carry out executions could not be found. He said he
would contact the Indonesian Medical Association about more
humane methods of execution.
A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Soehandoyo,
said the attorney general was only discussing ideas, and the
House of Representatives would have to be involved in changing
the law to introduce the death penalty for corruption.