n official is denying that pressure from foreign governments and international organizations is the reason for the last-minute stays of execution granted to 10 condemned drug convicts on Friday.
"No. As the Attorney General's Office has previously said, it was based on legal considerations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told The Jakarta Post.
A number of foreign missions in Jakarta, including Pakistan's, the case of a citizen of which, Zulfiqar Ali, has captured media attention because of his possible innocence, as well as several organizations, including the European Union, the United Nations and human rights groups, have all voiced concerns over the planned killings of the drug convicts.
When asked whether the ministry had influenced the decision in response to international outrage, Arrmanatha firmly said "No!"
"All the decisions are made by the Attorney General's Office," he added, insisting that the ministry had not played a part in decreasing the number of those who were put to death by firing squad on Friday.
The government had earlier said that 14 people were to be executed early Friday on the Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java. However, only four were executed.
The fate of the remaining 10 death row inmates on the list is not yet known. The AGO has not made any official announcement with regard to the status of those whose lives were spared -- whether their executions were merely postponed, or if their cases would be reviewed. (bbn)
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