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Jokowi grants 'unprecedented' clemency to death row drug convict
Merri Utami, 49, was sentenced to death in 2002 by a court in Tangerang, Banten, after she was found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into the country. She had claimed that she was duped into becoming a drug mule.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center) addresses an event on February 7, 2023 in Sidoarjo, East Java, to mark the centenary of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) through a series of activities, including a cultural carnival, religious rituals and a culinary bazaar. (NU Online/Saiful Amar)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has granted clemency to a woman who spent more than 20 years on death row for drug smuggling, the convict's lawyer said Friday, a move rights group Amnesty termed "unprecedented".
Merri Utami, 49, was sentenced to death in 2002 by a court in Tangerang, Banten, after she was found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into the country. She had claimed that she was duped into becoming a drug mule.
"We appreciate this clemency decision. Finally, the president wants to open his eyes that drug crimes are not only about drug kingpins and... harsh punishments," said Aisya Humaida, one of Utami's lawyers.
Amnesty International's Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid welcomed the decision to grant clemency to a drug convict on death row, terming it "unprecedented" under Jokowi's administration.
"This is important to show that there is no correlation, let alone causality between death sentence and the decline in narcotics crimes," said Usman.
Merri's lawyers were considering next steps in order to try to further reduce her sentence, Aisya said.
Jokowi granted Merri clemency almost seven years after she first sent a plea to the President.
