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Attorney General Postpones Execution to Meet Australia’s Demand
Attorney General Postpones Execution to Meet Australia’s Demand
JAKARTA ~
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has decided to postpone the execution of the Australian drug convicts to meet the demands of the Australian government and convicts’ families.
“This is our response with regard to the demands made by the Australian government and families of the convicts who have asked for more time for them to be able to meet with (the two convicts),” AGO spokesman Tony Tribagus Spontana stated here on Tuesday.
The AGO plans to execute the 11 convicts on death row, including the drug convicts from Australia, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, after their pleas for clemency were rejected by President Joko Widodo.
Three other convicts to face execution over murder charges are Indonesian citizens: Iyen bin Azwar, Harun bin Ajis, and Sargawi alias Ali bin Sanusi.
The six other convicts including five foreigners to be executed over narcotic cases are Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso from the Philippines, Serge Areski Atlaoui (France), Martin Anderson alias Belo (Ghana), Zainal Abidin (Indonesia), Raheem Agbaje Salami (Cordova), and Rodrigo Gularte (Brazil).
The AGO spokesman noted that the plan to transfer the death convicts from five different locations to Nusakambangan in Central Java has also been postponed.
He remarked that the penitentiary division of the regional office of the ministry of justice and human rights in Central Java has requested that the transfer should be carried out three days before the execution.
“The team of executors have inspected Nusakambangan and have found technical issues, which would make it difficult for five executions to be carried out at the same time at the execution location,” he stated.
In view of that, the transfer would be postponed until the isolation rooms and location for the execution are ready, he revealed.
He denied that the execution has been cancelled.
“We are only seeking the right date (for its implementation),” he noted.
He said that the convicts will be executed simultaneously.
Meanwhile, International law professor from Universitas Indonesia Hikmahanto Juwana has criticized the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for demanding the Indonesian government to cancel the execution.
“It is regrettable. His action is an act of intervention, which defends advanced countries in the UN,” he stated.
Ban Ki-moon has sought for the cancellation of the execution of death convicts including the two Australian drug convicts, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, grouped in the Bali Nine drug ring.
Hikmahanto has questioned Ban Ki-moon for having sided with advanced countries.
11 Comments
In a recent article that I just read from the Bali Times the Vice Governor is seeking to put extra CCTV cameras around Ngurah Rai International Airport. But after the recent allegations that their legal system may be corrupt they would benefit heaps more if these extra CCTV cameras were set up in their legal system this – I am sure this way they would uncover more interesting surprises than seeing who is entering and leaving their Country
President Wododo has made a decision not based on Indonesian law because clemency can be negotiated in certain cases where there has been repentance and lives turned around for good. Both Andrew and Myuran do good for Indonesia. The death sentence before a firing squad for anyone is pre-meditated murder. We oppose the death penalty in Australia because we value the sanctity of human life.
I don’t know where to start and where to finish. I ask myself the question, have the so-called Bali Nine ringleaders have committed a horrible crime? The answer is of course yes. Another question that must be asked is; which country would have been affected had they succeeded? The answer is Australia. Therefore, you surely must ask yourself, which country should be administering the punishment.
We all know the corruption in Bali, from police to the judges to the prison guards and all the way up to the government. Many traffickers are bribing their way out of trouble, whilst directly affecting the Indonesian people. A higher punishment is given to those who are affecting a foreign country. The punishment is not necessarily dependant on the legal system, but rather the person you bribe.
The God above sees us in silent. It will be a moment that he will come to speak and will manifest the truth. But if forced to speak today, he would say the same thing that he said to those who once brought him in front of a woman who had been captured and accused of adultery and her punishment was to be stone. Jesus replied (John Viii 8) “Whoever is without sin, let him throw the first stone on”. Having a little bit of self-awareness each one of them, stood up, left, and not continued with the stoning.
In today’s society, we stand very differently against the crime. Because of all the members of our rotten society, we should cry and we need to pray harder. We need to look more at ourselves, because we are sinners, to see whether we have committed a similar act.
When Christ spoke of the dead circulating around us, he meant, the spiritually dead, killed by the passions and sins, after this little self-examination, who could argue that one is not guilty of anything? Who is innocent?
The voice of Christ is timeless! To the sinless, you first throw the first stone! Anyone who feels sinless, can throw stones first to the culprits.
I wonder Mr Widodo are you and your courts so sinless? Are you so perfect?
All those years your country has executed so many drug dealers. Why is it that you still have more people to execute? Clearly, executions are not the answer but the rehabilitation is. The two people have made mistakes, yes. However, they have repented, they have asked for forgiveness. Your system rehabilitated them. Ask yourself, if it were your sons were on death row, would you still show no mercy?
I have left so many comments that one will make sense to the Indonesian President all tnose cmments mean nothing if the President does
Sorry that last comment was sent before I could finish it off hope that I am not executed for making a sincere mistake Any way I have left so many comments in the hope that that one will make sense to the Indonesian President. Now with all due respect I have one for Mr Tony Abbott.
All foreigners trying to bring drugs into Australia who are caught should have the drugs put back in their briefcase/suitcase given a one way ticket back to their own country then inform their authorities about the situation, then sit back and watch the big bang(firing Squad)then they might show the respect we deserve!!
Australia and Indonesia should have a very close relationship diplomatically where both leaders should be able to meet and sort this mess out to the betterment of both countries once and for all. We know that shooting drug couriers will not solve the drug problem, as those that organise these drug ventures are very rarely caught. Indonesia probably has hundreds of offenders in jail from many countries around the world who have been handed down the death penalty by the courts. With the political stance of ‘shoot them all’ I can only see a political mess with Indonesia going back to the dark ages. All countries involved need to talk about real solutions, with the President of Indonesia leading the way and not being pressured by those around him who have the ‘shoot them all’ mentality. The death penalty has no place in today’s sentencing, but if it has to be there it should be used for the most serious crimes (murder) and not used just used to keep face and appeas others. Hope at some stage common sense will prevail as these leaders are playing a deadly game with peoples lives and solving NOTHING.
You have to value the rehabilitated.They can do more good than you realise
Australia opposes the death penalty in Australia because we value the sanctity of human life. But both Andrew and Myuran are in Indonesia under the Indonesian Government – Who are we in Australia to tell other countries what they should do. I wonder what Andre and Myuran would be doing right NOW if they were not caught – having a good time with the money they made from selling drugs to the unfortunates of this country. Yes those that take drugs you can say it is their choice – and drug trafficker that is also their choice, they knew the penalty and that was their choice. Sorry to say I don’t feel any sympathy.
I heard tourism Indonesia is offering seats at the executions for US $5 for the main execution and an extra $10 if a follow up shot to the brain is required. It is required that tips be paid to the shooters if heart tissue is blown more than 20 feet from the twitching bodies and 5 feet for brain tissue. Viewers can film and circulate this humane event for free. Je suis Charlie!
Have anybody of you who have such comments about the deathpenalty for these persons seen the results of drugabuse. Stealing, murdering, rape, death and so ond because people used drugs that peole like tehes ones brought into your land and slod it to your kids!! Mr. President Widodo is right to deny amnesty for those people!
Their crime did not affect Indonesia but Australia. The time it has taken them waiting to be executed feels like torture itself. Many I speak to also have this feeling of despair at the thought of anyone, especially so many about to be executed in a most i humane way. Their deaths will not achieve anything. I consider the two Australians can continue to help Indonesia much more with the rehabilitation program if allowed to live. My heart is very heavy even though I do not know the offenders. As a Christian I agree with the above writer “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. The world is watching Indonesia. It takes a big man to reverse a wrong decision.