From late last year until recent times, the former grandee of the progovernment Nasdem Party cited a number of reasons, including the slowing economy, the need to maintain bilateral harmony and ongoing legal processes, for delaying the executions. On Thursday he argued that it was unethical to conduct the executions within the next two months because of the preparations being made by the country to observe Ramadhan, which is scheduled to begin on June 6. Ramadhan will run until July 7, after which Muslims nationwide will celebrate Idul Fitri on July 8 and 9 to mark the end of the holy month.

Prasetyo assured the public that no executions would be done before or during Ramadhan, with the most probable firm date of execution to be decided after Idul Fitri.

“If it is before Lebaran [Idul Fitri] then it means during the fasting month. Conducting executions during the holy month will not sound right,” Prasetyo told reporters, adding that he did not yet know when after Idul Fitri the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) would officially set the execution date.

Although the government has announced that the third round of executions is on the way, the schedule and list of those to be executed are not yet available, causing anxiety among inmates, their lawyers and anti-death-penalty campaigners. The only available information on the executions comes from the Central Java Police, which has claimed to have readied 150 executioners to shoot 10 foreigners from China (4), Nigeria (2), Pakistan (1), Senegal (2) and Zimbabwe (1), in addition to five Indonesians, on the isolated Island.

However, Prasetyo did not clarify nor confirm the figure, stating that his office had yet to officially issue the date of the executions and the names as well as number of death row inmates who will face the firing squads.

“Well, what I can say is that on [May] 25th there will be another inmate who will file for a case review,” Prasetyo said of another possible barrier that may cause a delay for the third round of executions.

AGO spokesman Amir Yanto emphasized that Filipino drug convict Mary Jane Veloso, who at least temporarily escaped execution last year when her alleged boss was arrested in the Philippines and the local authorities requested the Indonesia government reopen the case, and Indonesian drug kingpin Freddy Budiman would not be on the list that would be announced by the AGO.

“Mary [Jane Veloso] is needed by the Philippine authorities to solve a human trafficking case [involving her], while the case review hearing of [Freddy] is ongoing,” Amir said.

Recently, the Supreme Court rejected case review pleas filed by four Chinese nationals: Chen Hongxin, Jian Yuxin, Gan Chunyi and Zhu Xuxiong. It remains unclear whether the four were the Chinese nationals mentioned by Central Java Police.

The four Chinese men were found guilty of drug trafficking following a 2005 police raid on what was dubbed at the time Southeast Asia’s largest illicit drug factory in Banten, along with Frenchman Serge Areski Atlaoui, who also escaped execution last year because of an 11th-hour attempt by his lawyer to file for a case review, which was eventually rejected by the Supreme Court.

Veloso’s lawyer Agus Salim said his client was scheduled to be questioned by the Philippine authorities for the human trafficking case in the near future.

“I don’t know when the interrogation will take place, but both the Indonesian and the Philippine governments have arranged the questioning session for my client,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Supreme Court spokesman Suhadi said he did not know how many death row inmates had appealed for clemency from the President.

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales