The government on Tuesday dismissed a report made by NGOs that more than 300 Indonesians were on death row in Malaysia, claiming that only 70 Indonesians had been sentenced to death in the neighboring country
he government on Tuesday dismissed a report made by NGOs that more than 300 Indonesians were on death row in Malaysia, claiming that only 70 Indonesians had been sentenced to death in the neighboring country.
There were 177 Indonesians who had been charged with crimes carrying the death penalty in Malaysian courts, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said before a Cabinet meeting at State Palace on Tuesday.
“There are 345 Indonesians facing the death penalty [for their crimes], but only 177 of them have been officially charged with death penalty offenses in courts,” Marty said as quoted by Antara news agency, adding that 142 of them were accused of drug-related offenses.
The remainder had been accused of murder or the possession of illegal weapons, he said.
Separately, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar said no Indonesians had been executed in Malaysia. As of today, 70 people had been sentenced to death, and only three of them had had their appeals rejected by the Malaysian Supreme Court.
The death row convicts were in the process of requesting pardons from the Malaysian kingdom, he said. “There is a long way to go before they are executed.”
The three convicts were identified as Bustaman, Tarmizi and Parlan Dadeh.
The Foreign Ministry has come under fire for allegedly neglecting the fate of 345 fellow countrymen in Malaysia, who several NGOs said were awaiting execution.
The NGOs, which include the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid) and Migrant Care, said the figure was “enormous”.
“There aren’t that many Indonesians on death row in any other country. I find it strange that [President] Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the government can remain calm given the huge number of our own people sitting in cells waiting to be killed,” Migrant Care director Anis Hidayah said.
In response to the criticism, the President has instructed the foreign minister to review the figure and take immediate steps to assist them.
Yudhoyono also stressed that in any assistance it provided to the convicts, Indonesia had to respect the legal system and policies in place in Malaysia.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said Tuesday that the government had set up a team led by the Foreign Ministry to seek ways to save convicted Indonesians from execution.
“There may be a way, such as by requesting a pardon. I think this is allowed,” he said.
Da’i said the embassy would continue to provide legal assistance for Indonesians facing the death penalty in Malaysia. He said his office had managed to free 19 Indonesians from capital punishment.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry director general for justice and protection of Indonesian nationals said that the protection of convicted Indonesians abroad did not aim to clear them of charges.
According to the embassy records, 6,845 Indonesians are currently imprisoned in Malaysia, 4,804 of whom had been convicted for immigration offenses. The rest were convicted for criminal offenses including murder, drug trafficking and theft
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.