Review sought for Sumiasih case

Review sought for Sumiasih case

JAKARTA: The Surabaya District Court in East Java filed on Monday a petition for a Supreme Court review of Sumiasih, who is on death row.

The court decided to proceed with the request after a hearing with the defendant's lawyers, who presented new evidence that Sumiasih's appeal in 2000 had not yet been processed by the Supreme Court.

"It is clear that Sumiasih's request to have his sentence reduced was not handled properly," Sumiasih's lawyer Soetedja Djajasasmita said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri decided to turn down the appeals of several people on death row last year, including Sumiasih, who was sentenced to death for murder.

Since then, most defendants have been trying to have his or her case reviewed as a last ditch effort to avoid capital punishment.--Antara