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an. 18, Online/AP

Indonesia executed by firing squad five foreigners and an Indonesian woman convicted on drug trafficking charges despite appeals to spare them, with the government defending the action as necessary to combat the rising drug trade.

Four men from Brazil, Malawi, Nigeria and the Netherlands and the Indonesian woman were shot to death simultaneously in pairs just after midnight Saturday, several kilometers from a high security prison on Nusakambangan Island. The other woman, from Vietnam, was executed in Boyolali, according to Attorney General Office'€™s spokesman Tony Spontana. Both areas are in Central Java.

Your comments:

As a Brazilian I think we should cut ties with Indonesia. We cannot tolerate such acts.

Kadu Eduardo

This is a warning for other drug dealers. Don'€™t bring drugs here or you will see the consequences.

Arip

The use of the death penalty for drug trafficking is not only ineffective as a deterrent, it is downright counterproductive.

The only way to combat international drug trade is through close cooperation between international law enforcement agencies via the sharing of resources, intelligence, skills exchange, extraditions etc. These executions will seriously affect the level of cooperation Indonesia receives as few countries are willing to risk the political ramifications of sharing information that may result in the deaths of their own nationals.

Case in point '€” the arrest of the Bali Nine was the result of intelligence gathered and passed on to Indonesia by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). If any of the Bali Nine are executed (which now appears likely), the repercussions for the AFP in Australia for their role in the death of Australian citizens will be extreme. As a result, cooperation between the AFP and Indonesian authorities in drug-related matters will almost certainly break down, much to the satisfaction of the drug traffickers.

There is no doubt that in the realm of populist politics this hard-line approach will be a big vote winner for Indonesia'€™s new president. For those actually serious about ending the drug scourge, however, this is a sad day for Indonesia.

Stu Saville

As a Dutch national, I 100 percent agree with the Indonesian government. These people have committed crimes, which for me are on par with murder, while knowing the punishments they could face.

Don'€™t start crying after committing the crime. As far as the Dutch government is concerned, clean up your own mess first instead of always criticizing other countries.

Goed Zo

Singapore and Malaysia have handed down the death penalty in drug-trafficking cases. This is why the trafficking rate in both countries is at an all-time low.

Indonesia'€™s government and people announced their war on drug trafficking, which has resulted in the deaths of many of our children at home. In this war, it is justifiable to kill enemies who have killed or plan to kill our children. We support the President and our government in their attempt to protect our children. Please stop your citizens from smuggling narcotics into our country. We all have an obligation to protect our children, the future leaders of our country.

I Kitang

I have worked in Indonesia for two years, I fly in and out monthly and each time you are told the consequences of actions such as bringing in drugs.

These people ignored the rules as they were money hungry. How many kids could have died from these drugs had they been smuggled in? How many more when they moved up the ranks and hired more drug mules?

Markus

Here in Brazil many people are congratulating the Indonesian President as they too are tired of the drug mess. We are a little jealous that your country has such tough laws.

Jose Augusto Jardim

While I feel every sympathy for the condemned, irrespective of the fact that each one of them knew the risks before purposely selecting the bullet and spinning the chamber in a potentially lethal game of Russian roulette, why is it that all apologists seem to ignore the fact that it was their own personal choice to run the gauntlet in the first place?

I am neither defending nor condoning the death penalty but it emphatically is on the Indonesian statute and clear and dire warnings are given on the Internet (for those who care to check), announced verbally by cabin crew on all inbound flights and even displayed at Indonesian airports of arrival.

May Ling

Indonesia, ask your president to reconsider the death penalty. You should scrap barbaric laws. There are a number of reasons why the death penalty is wrong.

The innocent may be wrongly executed. Some argue that the death penalty is a deterrent, but it is not. Crime rates have not gone down. Many death-row inmates were convicted while being defended by court-appointed lawyers who are often the worst-paid and most-inexperienced and least-skillful lawyers.

The death penalty violates international human rights laws and is longer practiced in most sophisticated societies. The death penalty promotes killing as an OK solution to a difficult problem and death sentences are handed down arbitrarily, not in a fair or consistent manner.

Richjess

Why is this such a big deal for some people? In the US, many are given the death penalty. In China, corruptors get the death penalty. In Saudi Arabia, Indonesian maids were handed down the death penalty when they might have just been defending themselves. Rules are rules and no matter what they must be imposed.

Bentolovah

Terribly sad. Not only for the Brazilian guy who will not see the light of the next day but also for all those other citizens from Indonesia, Holland, Vietnam, Nigeria  and others who are on the death list. May God have mercy on all those people.

Andreia Oliveira

Whoever enters Indonesia through any airport or seaport is warned by big signs. Most inbound airlines announce that Indonesia imposes the death penalty for drug offenses.

Meaning everybody who enters Indonesia knows the risks of committing drug-related crimes. Furthermore, I think that each country should respect laws in other countries.

Wiollem Duvigneau

The problem with President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo is that he has lost his focus. I'€™m not opposing the death penalty. I'€™m just shocked that he rejected all the pleas for clemency. It'€™s a no-brainer really!

Rani Andriani was unlucky because her clemency was decided by President Jokowi while her co-conspirators escaped death penalty owing to the previous president. Where was the justice there?

There are so many other things that President Jokowi should have considered before he rejected all those clemency pleas. Indonesia opposed the death penalty when it was handed down to a maid in Saudi Arabia. He should focus on eradicating corruption.

Jay Subianto