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.