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Third round of death penalty a matter of choosing a day: Attorney General
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Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen Condro Kirono and his subordinates take a sea patrol boat toward Nusakambangan Prison Island from Wiajayapura port in Cilacap, Central Java on April. 28. Condro said his visit to the infamous prison island was to monitor the Limus Buntu firing field and prepare personnel related to the third round executions of death-row convicts. (Antara/Idhad Zakaria)
I
t is now only a matter of choosing the day on which the third round of executions of drug convicts will be carried out, Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said on Tuesday.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has begun preparations for the executions, set to take place on the notorious prison island of Nusakambangan in Cilacap, Central Java.
"There is only the choosing of the specific date. That's what I haven't been able to decide," Prasetyo said on Tuesday as quoted by newsportal Kompas.com.
He refused to disclose any details about what was delaying his decision. He also refrained from answering questions from reporters regarding the number of convicts who are to be executed.
The Attorney General has confirmed that Filipino Mary Jane Veloso and Indonesian drug kingpin Freddy Budiman are not on the list.
Veloso exclusion is due to an ongoing legal process in a separate but related case in her country.
Meanwhile, Freddy, who was found guilty of smuggling 1.4 million ecstasy pills from China to Indonesia in 2012, has filed for a case review, Prasetyo said.
The prosecutors will execute convicts whose verdicts are final, he added.
Prasteyo said he hoped the third round of executions would be carried out without any public uproar, such as that which has previously arisen after the executions of death row convicts.
"We do not want any racket. I have said many times, this is not something that is fun, but we have to do it nonetheless. Because no matter what, it concerns the well-being of the nation," he said.
Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen Condro Kirono said he had prepared the firing squad, doctors as well as clerics and priests for the executions. He said a firing squad of 14 personnel was deployed to execute one convict.
However, he did not know the exact date either, as coordination between the AGO and police had been made prior to the execution.
There were 65 drug convicts on death row as of 2015, according to AGO data.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has executed two groups of death-row convicts, both of which were carried out last year and comprise a total of 14 people.
The first round was conducted on January 18 with six drug convicts executed.
The second round shortly after, on April 29, especially dominated media headlines, since several of the eight people who were executed were foreigners whose deaths caused tensions between Indonesian and the respective home countries of the convicts. (liz/rin)
