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Brazilian inmate's lawyer rejects execution notification
The legal team of Rodrigo Gularte, a Brazilian death row inmate convicted on drug trafficking charges, has rejected a notification on the execution of his death sentence, saying that the convict suffers from mental illness
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he legal team of Rodrigo Gularte, a Brazilian death row inmate convicted on drug trafficking charges, has rejected a notification on the execution of his death sentence, saying that the convict suffers from mental illness.
'We firmly reject the execution. How can such an execution be conducted against a mentally ill person? Rodrigo is mentally sick and many inmates have known it well,' said Christina Windiarti, one of Gularte's legal team members, as quoted by Antara news agency at Wijaya Pura quay in Cilacap, Central Java, on Saturday evening.
She made the statement after attending a meeting during which Indonesian authorities officially handed over notifications on the implementation of a second batch of executions under President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's administration on Nusakambangan prison island.
Christina said nine death row inmates, including Gularte, received their execution notification letters at the meeting.
The lawyer said she would continue to carry out legal efforts until Gularte could be saved from execution. 'We will strive [to save Gularte from execution] as maximally as possible,' said Christina.
Unlike Christina, Utomo Karim, the lawyer of Nigerian death row inmate Raheem Agbaje Salami, said it seemed he could do no more to save his client from execution.
'We have received a notification that it [the execution] will be conducted on Tuesday; but we don't know yet whether it will be conducted on Tuesday evening or early Wednesday. If I'm not mistaken, seven inmates have received their execution notifications,' said Utomo.
He said prosecutors of each inmate read out the execution notifications in front of the convicts, their lawyers and representatives of their home countries.
Utomo said there would be more death row inmates who would receive execution notifications.
Responding to questions on Salami's last requests, Utomo said that his client wanted to be buried in Madiun, East Java, as he had previously requested. Salami also requested that during the execution, he could be accompanied by Rev. Fusi, who started giving him religious assistance on Sunday.
Regarding the execution location, Utomo said it was likely that the executions would be conducted at Tunggal Panaluan shooting range, which was also used for a first batch of executions on Jan. 18.
'I don't know the exact place but it is likely that it will be similar to the previous executions,' he said. (ebf)
