Jakarta, Indonesia. President Joko Widodo will put the government of Indonesia on the wrong side of history if he proceeds the third round of executions of drug dealers, human rights watchdog Amnesty International warned on Wednesday, July 27.
Amnesty International made a statement in connection with recent reports that several death row inmates have been transferred to Nusakambangan prison in Central Java. At least 14 death-row inmates have been on the island of executions since Sunday evening, which include ten foreign nationals.
It is generally understood that death row inmates were moved to Nusakambangan island few days before they are executed by firing squad. They are being held in an isolation room and will receive counseling from the religious guides, while the government will fulfill their last wishes.
Director of Amnesty International's campaign for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Josef Benedict, said the organization is concerned that some of the inmates who would face a firing squad, was convicted in unfair trials and has not been appealed, including a request for clemency to the President.
"In the era of President Jokowi is supposed to represent a new start for human rights in Indonesia. Unfortunately, he could preside over the highest number of executions in the era of the country's democracy, by the time most of the world has turned its back on this cruel practice," Benedict said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a report published last year, Amnesty found that in 12 cases, the defendants were denied access to legal counsel at the time of their arrest and the pause period thereafter. Some claimed that they were tortured and other ill-treatment while in police custody and forced to "confess" their crimes alleged. However, allegations of torture and forced confessions reportedly never investigated further by the authorities.
According to Amnesty, the Pakistani authorities have asked their counterparts from Indonesia to stop the execution of Zulkifar Ali, a Pakistani citizen and also a textile workers, who were reported to have described how he was tortured in custody and spent more than a decade on death row for a drug offences.
During the pre-trial detention, he was reportedly denied the right to contact his embassy and not permitted to access to a lawyer untill approximately one month after his arrest.
"In the case of Zulkifar Ali showed that the International law has been repeatedly violated in the case of the death penalty. No one should have their life is decided on the basis of such flawed proceedings," Benedict added in a statement.
Last year, despite repeated plea for mercy from foreign governments and an International organizations, Indonesia government had execute the 14 people for drug trafficking, among them are citizens of Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands and Nigeria.
source:
JakartaGlobe
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