Cilacap Police and Nusakambangan prison authorities have prepared spiritual leaders to be assigned to accompany death row inmates before and during their executions.

Cilacap Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ulung Sampurna Jaya said some 15 death row inmates would be executed on the Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java, in the near future and that police had appointed religious leaders to accompany the inmates.

“In principle, we have prepared everything needed for the execution of their death sentences at Nusakambangan, including the spiritual leaders,” Ulung told thejakartapost.com on Wednesday. He refused to mention the number of spiritual leaders readied, saying only that it corresponded to the number of inmates to be executed.

“Up untill now, the Cilacap Police have not yet received any official order on the implementation of the execution, including information on how many people will be executed. We are all still waiting for [the official order],” said Ulung.

Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Liliek Darmanto said 10 foreigners were on the list of convicts for the forthcoming round of executions at Nusakambangan, all convicted of drug crimes. Four of the inmates were from China, while the other six were from Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

“Five death row inmates are from Indonesia,” said Liliek.

Meanwhile, an Islamic teacher from the Cilacap chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Hasan Makarim, said the MUI had not received any government notification on the executions.

“Usually, an official religious assistance request comes after the death row inmates are put in isolation cells. That is the time we will start to prepare their mental readiness to embrace their execution, along with their faith and religion,” Hasan told thejakartapost.com.

Usually, he added, one spiritual leader would be prepared to accompany one inmate. “We are intensely coordinating with the police and prison authorities, so that once it is needed, we are ready,” Hasan said.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has announced that the third round of executions under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration would be held in the near future.

The AGO conducted two rounds of executions in 2015. Six people were executed in January 2015 and another eight in late April 2015. (ebf)

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