Court to sentence drug dealers to death

Court to sentence drug dealers to death

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: The Mataram District Court said
on Monday it was ready to sentence drug dealers to death if the
defendants were proven guilty under the prevailing laws.

"The Mataram court handed down a life sentence in 1998 to a
defendant who was found guilty of possessing 6.3 kilograms of
hashish. Now we are prepared to implement a maximum penalty of
death for those involved in narcotics," Saodah, a deputy
chairwoman of the court, said.

She, however, said the move required "moral support" from
antidrug activists and other people.

The court has been accused of being reluctant to impose the
death penalty on suspects charged with illegally possessing and
distributing drugs.

But Saodah denied the accusation, arguing that prosecutors
have so far failed to produce sufficient evidence for judges to
hand out death sentences. --Antara