Being spared from death marked the first step for Yusman Telaumbanua to become an advocate for a more humane judicial system.

Now a free man, the 21-yearold, who recently avoided execution, aspires to become a human rights lawyer to help others whose lives are at risk because of a heavyhanded judiciary, just like his was.

“I want to go back to school so that I can study the law,” he said.

Yusman was high spirited as he shared his future plans on the sidelines of the screening of Novum, a 21-minute documentary on his journey toward avoiding execution, on Sunday. It briefly relates the story of the years of struggle that Yusman and his team of lawyers from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) went through to challenge the death sentence imposed on him.

The native of Nias regency, North Sumatra, was sentenced to death by the Gunung Sitoli District Court in 2013 for the premeditated murder of three local gecko sellers in 2012. One of the victims was his employer. He was 16 when he was found guilty. The North Sumatra High Court and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, ignoring the fact that Yusman was a minor and thus should not be sentenced to death.

According to the 2012 Child Criminal Procedures Law, the harshest punishment for juvenile offenders is 10 years’ imprisonment.

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