Indonesia ignores pleas for clemency, executes 4 drug offenders

Police officers stand guard as a convoy of ambulances carrying the bodies of the four drug traffickers executed on Friday drives past. Pic: AP.

 29th July 2016

INDONESIA executed four prisoners convicted for drug offenses on Friday, despite international calls this past week to put a halt to executions.

The country’s deputy attorney-general Noor Rachmad toldmembers of the press outside the Nusakambangan prison that one Indonesian and three Africans were executed by firing squad not long after midnight, local time, during a thunderstorm.

“It was not a pleasant thing, but it was to implement the law,” he said, adding: “The executions are only aimed at halting drug crimes.”

SEE ALSO: Human rights: Does Indonesia’s Jokowi walk the talk?

Earlier this week, it was announced that there were to be 14 prisoners executed in this latest round, but Rachmad said authorities have yet to decide on the fate of 10 others currently on death row, comprising citizens of India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

On Friday, an official said that the planned executions would go through “in stages”, declining to specify a time frame, reported the Jakarta Globe.

Among the four executed were: Indonesian Freddy Budiman; Seck Osmane from Senegal; and Nigerians Michael Titus Igweh and Humphrey Jefferson Ejike.

The bodies of Osmane and Igweh will be flown back to their respective countries, while Ejike will be buried in Indonesia.

SEE ALSO: Rights groups call for leniency as Indonesia prepares for latest round of executions

In Ejike’s case, his legal team alleged that his execution was unjust.

According to Reuters, Ejike’s legal counsel Raynov Tumorang said in a text message: “At this stage, we can only say that we are extremely disappointed with the fact that Jeff was executed.”

“There is strong evidence of torture and he was not given a fair trial. Racism towards our client can be seen in the court decision,” he added.

This past week, the respective governments and family members of the death row inmates have appealed to the Indonesian government to spare the lives of the prisoners, but their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Human rights and lawyer groups have also questioned whether the prisoners were given fair trial, in addition to raising allegations of abuse and torture.