The death sentence

No one for some considerable time has faced a firing squad in Indonesia, despite receiving the death sentence for his or her crimes. The decision to go ahead and execute the proven guilty is never easy, but in the case of terrorists and mass murderers it would seem to be more than justified.

Easy to struggle with one's conscious over the rights and wrongs of such a final decision, for final it is, as death is certain. Almost the entire world would go along with the thinking that mass murderers have no channel whatsoever to a God, no matter their rantings and claims on the subject. It is clearly an inhumane act to knowingly and intentionally murder innocent people, and one that logically could only be carried out by people who have totally lost their sanity.

We can all relate to the problems that cause people to react in a violent way, that violence of course subject to varying degrees. Indonesia has clearly shown in the cases of the Bali bombers that it can handle such highly emotive cases in its courts, a more than unenviable task for all those concerned.

Eventually the time may come when the fate of those found guilty and subsequently sentenced to death will be in the hands of the Indonesian government, which may well feel justified in taking that final step. We should bear in mind that such a decision would most likely be double-edged, as a deserved end would likely invite unwanted repercussions.

When dealing with people who have no consideration whatsoever for rules, humanity or any kind of decency, we have to be brave enough to accept that challenge, but in doing so, must also be prepared to face the consequences.

Another aspect to consider would be the exchange of future hostages for convicted terrorists, which perhaps contributes to the case for execution. Whatever the outcome, the decisions are never easy, and events will always prove the decision to be wrong no matter what it was.

DAVID WALLIS, Medan, North Sumatra