THIRD WAVE OF EXECUTIONS OF DRUG TRAFFICKERS IMMINENT by Fardah

Jakarta, July 27, 2016 (Antara)- Despite the Indonesian media lately giving greater coverage to the planned cabinet reshuffle, but it does not mean there are no activities hinting that the third wave of executions would be conducted soon. 
    Most of the relevant ministers, who were ordered by the president to remain in Jakarta allegedly in connection with the cabinet reshuffle, declined to give further information on the execution plan.

         However, according to the media, as many as 14 death row inmates, all drug convicts, have been placed in an isolation cell at the Batu prison on the island of Nusakambangan, off this southern Central Java coastal town.

        The 14 prisoners were moved to the isolation cell in the evening of July 25 with the help of the personnel of the Police's Mobile Brigade.

        "The 14 included two from the Pasir Putih prison, another two from the Kembang Kuning prison, one from the Besi prison, and nine from the Batu prison," reliable sources said in response to Antara's questions.

        The isolation cell is a new structure behind the Batu prison building.

        According to the source, the prisoners being moved to the isolation cell hinted that the executions were imminent.      

   The executions of death row prisoners in Nusakambangan earlier took place three days after the convicts were sent to the isolated cell, the sources reported.

        Among those who have been moved to isolated cells are drug kingpin Freddy Budiman, Zulfikar Ali, Suryanto, Agus Hadi, Pudjo Lestari, and Merry Utami.

        The government has, so far, not revealed the names of the death row inmates, who will face firing squads in the third wave of executions.

        However, several likely names already circulated in the media include Freddy Budiman, Meirika Franola, Jun Hao alias A Heng, Suryanto, Agus Hadi, Merry Utami, Pujo Lestari, and A Yam from Indonesia; Ozias Sibanda and Fredderikk Luttar from Zimbabwe; Obina Nwajagu and Humprey Ejike from Nigeria; Seck Osmane from South Africa; Zhu Xu Xhiong, Cheng Hong Xin, Gang Chung Yi, and Jian Yu Xin from China; and Zulfikar Ali from Pakistan.

        Indonesia had executed 14 drug convicts on January 18, 2015, and April 29, 2015. Among the executed convicts were Dutch citizen 62-year-old Ang Kim Soei, 48-year-old Malawian Namaona Denis, 53-year-old Brazilian national Marco Archer Cardoso Mareira, 38-year-old Nigerian Daniel Enemua, 38-year-old Indonesian citizen Andriani alias Melisa Aprilia, and 37-year-old Vietnamese national Tran Thi Bich Hanh.

       Two members of the "Bali Nine" drug ring --- Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran --- were also executed in April last year.   
  On Nusakambangan, there are seven prisons that are located five kilometers away from each other. The seven prisons are Besi, Batu, Kembang Kuning, Narkotika, Permisan, Pasir Putih, and Terbuka that house a total of 1,250 prisoners, including 59 death row inmates.

       Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan had recently stated that the executions would be carried three days after the names were announced.

       Attorney General HM Prasetyo recently said he would later inform the embassies of the convicts concerned through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the implementation of the executions.

      He has so far not yet confirmed the date of the third round of executions.

       The Indonesian police headquarters, however, are all set with a team of shooters to carry out the third round of executions of drug convicts on the death row soon.

        "The team of shooters stands 100 percent prepared to act as executors," national police head of public relations division, Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar, said on July 25.

        He could not tell how many shooters have been prepared for the task. "We will be ready as soon as the location and date of the execution is announced," he added.

       Besides the shooters, the police have also tied up with doctors and escort teams to help the Attorney General's Office carry out the executions.

      "It is not as easy as you think as human lives are involved. Preparations have to be made well," he stressed.

       President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had emphasized that he would not grant clemency to drug convicts, who were responsible for the deaths of 50 Indonesians every day, despite protests from several countries and parties at home.

     
In the meantime, Amnesty International has urged the Indonesian government to immediately halt plans to carry out executions, because, the NGO believes that "the death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment."
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 27-07-2016 13:00:00