Call to halt execution of 2 prisoners in western Iran

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJFoBhJBCnjlJggAJaEwi0g_EVoaD3uPjVyXjG03UlN_Y5Tzr6bk81E82MKmX_enemTO_TGOkqQrJDxPSwYfz_wX1ktuI1MUVTRNbHj4KfxlbvzHuCksSUupsU5DcQClzfNFROt7xKKo/s1600/Khomeini+shahr_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Watching a public execution in Iran (file photo)" border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJFoBhJBCnjlJggAJaEwi0g_EVoaD3uPjVyXjG03UlN_Y5Tzr6bk81E82MKmX_enemTO_TGOkqQrJDxPSwYfz_wX1ktuI1MUVTRNbHj4KfxlbvzHuCksSUupsU5DcQClzfNFROt7xKKo/s400/Khomeini+shahr_1.jpg" title="Watching a public execution in Iran (file photo)" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching a public execution in Iran (file photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">On Wednesday, June 22, coinciding with a visit by the Iranian regime's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to France and the Netherlands, and simultaneous with the global conference against the death penalty with the participation of more than 90 countries in Oslo, officials of the mullahs' regime in Iran have sent 2 prisoners by the names of Farzad Bizhani and Farhad Souri in Sanandaj Prison (western Iran) to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On this very day the criminal public prosecutor in the city of Mashhad (northeastern Iran) requested hand amputation verdicts for 3 prisoners accused of robbery (state Tabnak website - June 22).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Continuous executions, torture and floggings even during the holy month of Ramadan, considered amongst Muslims in Iran and all Islamic countries as a month of tolerance, kindness and benevolence, brings an end to the myth of moderation within the religious, fascist regime ruling Iran that cannot even temporary halt these crimes for a few days to merely save face.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Iranian Resistance calls for measures to save the lives of the 2 prisoners on the brink of execution and to prevent a verdict and implementation of hand amputation for the three inmates in Mashhad Prison. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Iranian Resistance also calls on all international humanitarian organizations to condemn these inhumane crimes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, the international community is urged to condition its economic and political relations with this inhumane regime, being the source of all the devastations, pains and sufferings of the people of Iran and the entire region, on an improvement of human rights in Iran.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: NCRI, June 22, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

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Watching a public execution in Iran (file photo) On Wednesday, June 22, coinciding with a visit by the Iranian regime's Foreign Minister...

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Indonesia: Executions won't fix the drug problem

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa3Fm6f2g8v7BgAICmXr63t6uKIzuE2xajbt3ER3qffYmaJaWf0zv1S89c1rK_tXofx4LcV042THb9ssH8XPMPiRiREHmtFEGK1Wb3nDopRwfet8xyojZungWP3ZhQtDdnDr9eexLwdA/s1600/Joko+Widodo+and+Angela+Merkel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Indonesian President Joko Widodo with German Chancellor Angela Merkel." border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqa3Fm6f2g8v7BgAICmXr63t6uKIzuE2xajbt3ER3qffYmaJaWf0zv1S89c1rK_tXofx4LcV042THb9ssH8XPMPiRiREHmtFEGK1Wb3nDopRwfet8xyojZungWP3ZhQtDdnDr9eexLwdA/s400/Joko+Widodo+and+Angela+Merkel.jpg" title="Indonesian President Joko Widodo with German Chancellor Angela Merkel." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indonesian President Joko Widodo with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">For people convicted of drug crimes on Indonesia's death row, the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan has added significance this year. After moving 15 prisoners to "Execution Island" last month and announcing that their deaths by firing squad could take place at any time, the country's attorney general conceded he might postpone the killings because "well, executing [during] fasting [month] is not good, is it?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's too bad that this moral sense isn't applied year-round. Although many countries punish people for their drug addiction, only 36 have laws that prescribe the death penalty for drug-related convictions. 7, including Indonesia, regularly enforce the death penalty as a sentence for drug offences (others include China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia is currently the centre of international attention for a number of reasons - 1 of which is the fact that executions represent an abrupt about face for the country, which until last year had appeared to be upholding a <i>de facto</i> moratorium on the use of the death penalty. The upcoming executions were set in motion less than a month after the country's delegation to the U.N. was booed from the gallery during a speech about the use of the death penalty to combat drug trafficking, and are just one part of a chilling series of executions planned for 2016 and 2017.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another reason for the international spotlight is the fact that Indonesia is executing foreigners - with blatant disregard for international opinion. Neither the booing at the U.N. nor direct appeals by other countries has had any impact.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2015, following intensive efforts by Brazil and the Netherlands to win clemency for 2 citizens convicted of drug offenses in Indonesia, the pair were executed by firing squad along with an Indonesian woman and 3 other foreigners (from Nigeria, Malawi and Vietnam). A few months later, 8 more people were executed. Brazil, Australia and the Netherlands temporarily recalled their ambassadors in response to the executions, but with little effect. According to Amnesty International, Jakarta imposed at least 46 new death sentences in 2015 - including 29 for drug-related crimes - up from 6 in 2014.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The executions are partly tied to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's desire to play on the widespread belief that drug users are a menace to society - a fear inflated and dramatized in the war on drugs. Indonesia has a significant drug problem, but no reliable statistics on its size. Widodo declared a state of emergency over the country's drug use shortly after being sworn in. He cited government statistics that nearly 5 million people - or about 2 % of the population - are "affected" by drug consumption and that between 40 and 50 Indonesians die every day because of drug use.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although academics from the country's top universities questioned the government numbers - and earlier this year Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency said that it had overestimated drugs deaths by nearly 20 % - the war on drugs and use of the death penalty appears to have popular approval in Indonesia. Widodo has vowed to reject all requests for clemency for people convicted of drug-related crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Capital punishment, threats and arrests are the wrong answer for Indonesia's drug problem. The people being executed in Indonesia are not the primary drivers of the illicit drug trade. Some of them are "drug mules" who were vulnerable to exploitation; others were unaware they were carrying drugs in the first place. Indonesian scholars point to data showing that drug use has not been reduced by criminalizing the behavior. Instead, such policies have fueled hepatitis C and HIV epidemics and driven people away from health services that might otherwise have helped them overcome their addiction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Executions are inconsistent with Pancasila - Indonesia's official philosophical foundation, which calls for a just and civilized humanity. They are also a violation of Indonesia's commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which says the death penalty should be imposed only for the most serious crimes and that those sentenced to it should have the right to seek a pardon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Widodo's presidential campaign - based on an anti-corruption platform, projecting a man of the people ready to support farmers, protect minority groups, and resolve past human rights abuses - attracted domestic and international support. The 1st president not plucked from political dynasties or the military, Widodo's election was seen as a significant step in Indonesia's evolution towards a free and united democratic society. This was to be the final phase in a national journey that began in 1998, when Indonesians pulled themselves out of half a century of repression, violence and instability.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet Widodo's approval ratings dropped within months of taking office. Having risen from the ranks of domestic politics, he is often criticized for lacking foreign policy experience - an area in which his predecessor was strong. A tough stance on drug use gives him a political platform for big talk on Indonesian sovereignty - and he's determined that national drug policy will not be swayed by foreign opinion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Widodo's politicization of the drug challenges faced by thousands of Indonesian families is a betrayal of his stance as a man of the people committed to protecting the people. Drug use is complex, poorly understood and heavily stigmatized - it's an issue that needs to be addressed with reason, science and in consultation with the people involved; not a punishment-oriented approach designed to advance a political and moral agenda.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia's move toward democracy has often set an example for the region. It needs a public health response to its drug problem that will allow it to be a model for the rest of the world, and which is based on programs that have been proven to work. The country has taken steps in this direction, including introducing opioid substitution therapy and increasing access to clean needles, syringes and HIV treatment. Widodo should expand access to these initiatives and abandon his use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government's decision not to kill during Ramadan gives us hope that rationality and compassion can change Indonesia's policy on drugs. The death penalty is a punishment of the past that has little place in a country looking towards the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reuters, Commentary, June 21, 2016. Naomi Burke-Shyne is a senior program officer with the Public Health Program at the Open Society Foundations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. For people convicted of drug crimes on Indonesia's death row, the...

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Iran: Ongoing executions, torture and floggings in holy month of Ramadan

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJ6Dlwz2jBkWakO1dJCilSYKJIdixVaugXRKoPlLDzEhhzQRuWSxdvsvOD24EOhEQF0a4tbQ2jp9eeROgx5tM0iJCrPDm0ewLCctp2ngHEDeJBQ8bl1VU2RSPvFijk6OJ4jRUJtJcz80/s1600/flogging+in+Iran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Medieval punishments: Public flogging in Ira (file photo)" border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJ6Dlwz2jBkWakO1dJCilSYKJIdixVaugXRKoPlLDzEhhzQRuWSxdvsvOD24EOhEQF0a4tbQ2jp9eeROgx5tM0iJCrPDm0ewLCctp2ngHEDeJBQ8bl1VU2RSPvFijk6OJ4jRUJtJcz80/s400/flogging+in+Iran.jpg" title="Medieval punishments: Public flogging in Ira (file photo)" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval punishments: Public flogging in Iran (file photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The inhumane mullahs' regime is continuing its use of mass executions, barbaric punishments, floggings and widespread arrests during the holy month of Ramadan, which is considered amongst Muslims in Iran and all other Islamic countries as a period of friendship, kindness and benevolence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iranian authorities on June 15 sent 5 prisoners to the gallows in the central prisons of Bandar Abbas (southern Iran) and Yasouj (southwestern Iran). I</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">n the early days of Ramadan (2nd week of June) a deprived worker was horrifically flogged in public in the town of Ghir and Karzin in Fars Province (central Iran) under the pretext of eating during fasting hours. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A number of other people in various cities including Hamedan, Isfahan and Islam Shahr have been arrested for similar reasons.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In another development, Mr. Iman Rashidi Yeganeh lost his life on June 10 after enduring 4 months of detention in appalling conditions in Parsiloun Prison of Khoram-Abad (western Iran) and being deprived of any medical care. He was mistakenly arrested back in March due to a name similarity. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, the criminal judge of the mullahs' so-called court refused to release this prisoner despite learning of his innocence and in the light of warnings issued by physicians.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The mullahs' inability and incapacity to temporarily put a lid on oppression, torture and executions, even in the sacred month of Ramadan, makes it crystal clear that the criminals ruling Iran cannot safeguard their rule for even 1 day without nooses and the use of torture against the people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Iranian Resistance calls on international human rights organizations to condemn the crimes of this regime and focus their efforts to entirely banish and expel the mullahs from the global community. The senior leaders of this regime, being a disgrace for modern humanity, must be placed before justice for their crimes against humanity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: NCRI, June 19, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

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Medieval punishments: Public flogging in Iran (file photo) The inhumane mullahs' regime is continuing its use of mass executions, barbar...

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Indonesia planning mass executions after Ramadan

<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj-6GKRMlVvG8ZWQApuxeuMl_xEoGoyUjWjk4nSy5x2zak6JncMxkMtlu3KAVGiEMlh92MRRn0PHlZsmbQzAV5adEZiJlBYPkV8LFImApB6BZQJDQkzmRr33fToxX504GIzJqpvepYPM/s1600/Indonesian+police+personnel+getting+ready+ahead+of+the+execution+of+eight+death+row+inmates+in+April+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj-6GKRMlVvG8ZWQApuxeuMl_xEoGoyUjWjk4nSy5x2zak6JncMxkMtlu3KAVGiEMlh92MRRn0PHlZsmbQzAV5adEZiJlBYPkV8LFImApB6BZQJDQkzmRr33fToxX504GIzJqpvepYPM/s400/Indonesian+police+personnel+getting+ready+ahead+of+the+execution+of+eight+death+row+inmates+in+April+2015.jpg" title="Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions</td></tr></tbody></table><i>Spokesman for attorney-general confirms that executions are set to resume after a hiatus</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia plans to put 16 convicts to death after next month’s Muslim Eid holiday, an official said Tuesday, confirming executions were set to resume after a hiatus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The death row convicts will be executed “immediately after” the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Mohammad Rum, a spokesman for the attorney-general’s office, told AFP, but he did not give a precise date.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which falls in Indonesia on 6 and 7 July.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rum did not say who would face the firing squad, but Indonesia has been waging a campaign against narcotics and in 2015 executed 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, sparking international outrage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There have been no executions since April last year, with Indonesia saying it was pausing capital punishment to focus on fixing its slowing economy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We could not do it earlier because the government was trying to improve our economy, but now we will take some action after Eid,” Rum said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rum said the convicts would likely be put to death by firing squad on the prison island of Nusakambangan, off Java, where executions are usually carried out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are scores of drug convicts on death row in Indonesia, among them foreigners including Frenchman Serge Atlaoui and Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who were both pulled from the last round of executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is on death row in Bali after she was caught smuggling a huge stash of cocaine into the resort island.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President Joko Widodo declared a war on drugs when he took office in 2014, saying that the country was facing an emergency due to rising narcotics use and traffickers should be severely punished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were two rounds of executions last year. The second round in April, which saw two Australians, a Brazilian and four Nigerians put to death, caused the most serious diplomatic backlash.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following the executions of the Australian drug smugglers, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Canberra temporarily recalled its ambassador from Jakarta.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Agence France-Presse, June 14, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">British pair may face firing squad during new 'wave' of executions in Indonesia</span></b></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s1600/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lindsay Sandiford (center) and Kerobokan prison inmates" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s400/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" title="Lindsay Sandiford (center) and Kerobokan prison inmates" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindsay Sandiford (center) knitting with other Kerobokan prison inmates.</td></tr></tbody></table><i>A grandmother and a father may be among 16 executed after Ramadan ends</i><br /><br />Indonesia is to perform a wave of executions after the end of Ramadan, meaning two British people on death row may face the firing squad sooner than expected.<br /><br />The country’s government announced it plans to put 16 convicted prisoners to death after Eid holiday in early July, the first executions since the start of a hiatus in April last year.<br /><br />Lindsay Sandiford, a grandmother from Teeside convicted of trafficking cocaine with a street value of £1.6 million, was given the death penalty in August 2013 and remains on death row.<br /><br />Gareth Cashmore from Yorkshire was convicted for smuggling crystal meth in the country and has been in custody since September 2012.<br /><br />It is not yet clear whether Ms Sandiford or Mr Cashmore will be among the group of prisoners executed next month.<br /><br />Mohammad Rum, spokesman for the Indonesian attorney-general, told AFP the executions would take place soon but refused to specify who would face the firing squad or on what date.<br /><br />“We could not do it earlier because the government was trying to improve our economy, but now we will take some action after Eid,” he said.<br /><br />Executions were temporarily halted in the spring last year after the ‘Bali Nine’ drug-traffickers including two Australians were killed by firing squad in April, a case which caused international outrage and criticism of the Indonesian government.<br /><br />Indonesia claimed at the time the country’s economic troubles had forced the suspension of executions, although many argued the true motivation was political.<br /><br />Twelve foreigners were executed in 2015 in total, all on drugs charges.<br /><br />Ms Sandiford, 59, has repeatedly insisted she was manipulated and used as a mule to transport the cocaine as a means to protect her sons, aged 22 and 24.<br /><br />She launched an appeal to have her sentence reduced but it was rejected, as the majority of appeals for drug offences are.<br /><br />Despite the attempted intervention of prime minister David Cameron during a visit to Jakarta in 2014, Ms Sandiford’s position remains unchanged.<br /><br />Prosecutors said Mr Cashmore was attempting to transport crystal meth worth up to £800,000 when he was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. <br /><br />Rum confirmed the executions would take place on the island of Nusakambangan near Java, where they are typically carried out.<br /><br />Indonesian president Joko Widodo says the policy of executing drug smugglers is "necessary" because of the mounting problem with substance abuse in the country.<br /><br />The Independent has contacted the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for comment.<br /><br />Source: The Independent, June 14, 2016<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Indonesia to execute 16 inmates after Ramadan</span></b><br /><br />16 people are set to face a firing squad in Indonesia this year, with the Attorney General saying they have the budget to execute another 30 in 2017.<br /><br />Attorney General Office Spokesman Muhammad Rum has told AAP the exact timing of the executions will be decided after Indonesia's Eid al-Fitr July national holiday, Lebaran (Ramadan).Mr Rum says drug offenders will be a 'priority' but this still needs to be confirmed.<br /><br />He says the most likely site for the executions is Nusakambangan - the notorious island prison where Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were shot by firing squads in April last year. Under the state budget a further 30 people are scheduled to face the death penalty next year, Mr Rum said.<br /><br />But, Mr Rum said, the location also still needs to be confirmed.<br /><br />'One thing for sure, it's after Lebaran, 16 people. That's all,' he added.Speaking after a hearing into the budget in parliament on Monday, Attorney General HM Prasetyo told Metro TV: 'We will not stop the execution ... The budget is ready'.<br /><br />'We still have 58 death convicts of drugs cases and 152 for all kinds of crimes - murder and there's also terrorism. All we will (execute).'<br /><br />Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan has previously said he did not want to see a repeat of the 'drama' or 'soap opera' such as that which occurred in the lead up to the Australians' executions, where Indonesia faced intense diplomatic pressure, as well as strident international appeals and pleas from family members.<br /><br />Indonesian law stipulates authorities only need to give 3 days' notice of an execution taking place.<br /><br />Speaking during the anniversary of Chan and Sukumaran's death this year, their Indonesian lawyer and long time anti-death penalty campaigner Dr Todung Mulya Lubis said while he could not see the abolition of the death penalty in the country happening 'any time soon', he hopes a bill tabled before parliament might provide a middle way.<br /><br />Under the proposed changes, if people show they have rehabilitated themselves, they could see their execution commuted to a life sentence.<br /><br />Source: Sky News, June 14, 2016<br /><br /><br /><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">21 Nigerians are among the 121 prisoners on death row in Indonesia.</span></b><br /><br />30 of the prisoners will be executed before the end of 2017. 18 of them will be executed after July 6, the Eid el-Fitr Muslim holiday, which ends the holy month of Ramadan.<br /><br />Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to President Muhammadu Buhari, disclosed this to Independent on Monday.<br /><br />Bambang Waluyo, Indonesian Deputy Attorney General, announced the execution schedule during a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta. The Justice Ministry said those on death row in Indonesia are mostly convicted of drug-related crimes and that at least 35 of them are foreigners.<br /><br />In 2015, Indonesia had equally executed 14 convicts, all but 2 of them foreigners, in a move that drew international condemnation. Dabiri-Erewa noted that one Nigerian was executed in the last batch of execution. Under Indonesian law, each convict would face a squad of 10 gunmen.<br /><br />Dabiri-Erewa, who was chairman, House of Representatives' Committee on Diaspora before her present appointment, noted that when a Nigerian delegation visited Indonesia in 2010 to plead for Nigerians on death row, that the Indonesian government made it clear that the death penalty is the law.<br /><br />"As the world keeps appealing to Indonesia not to kill them, we must also admonish our citizens to avoid crime and be good ambassadors wherever they find themselves", she said.<br /><br />Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014, has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking, saying that the country is facing a drug emergency.<br /><br />Source: nigeriatoday.ng, June 14, 2016<br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

David Cameron Drug trafficking Indonesia Joko Widodo L. Sandiford Mary J. Veloso Nigeria Ramadan Serge Atlaoui UK Indonesia planning mass executions after Ramadan

Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions Spokesman for attorney-general confirms that executions are set to resume after a hiat...

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Indonesia Plans to Execute 18 Drug Convicts This Year, 30 in 2017

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRxhnm0aHqP9tetCBEjzOLhnGPzX0X2cL1ONd7z34gisRxa0Olj278pg5D9zg9CkLNajoR7EueGlaHrzCwc2XA1IhdUHNmuMbhL2kp7JlJV5ZSnH-z5p_LiHaVr85rK63eglaSCcJlhY/s1600/Indonesia+bullet-ridden+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRxhnm0aHqP9tetCBEjzOLhnGPzX0X2cL1ONd7z34gisRxa0Olj278pg5D9zg9CkLNajoR7EueGlaHrzCwc2XA1IhdUHNmuMbhL2kp7JlJV5ZSnH-z5p_LiHaVr85rK63eglaSCcJlhY/s320/Indonesia+bullet-ridden+flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Indonesian government plans to execute 30 death row convicts in 2017, a deputy attorney general says.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The number of convicts to be executed is expected to be 30" next year, Deputy Attorney General Bambang Waluyo told lawmakers during a parliamentary hearing on Monday, Tribun News reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, his office is preparing to execute 18 convicts after the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan, expected to fall on July 6, Bambang reportedly said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A spokesman for the attorney general's office could not be reached by phone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At least 121 people are on death row in Indonesia, including 35 foreigners, mostly convicted of drug-related crimes, according to the Justice Ministry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They include Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines, Lindsay Sandiford from Britain and Frenchman Serge Atlaoui.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last year Indonesia executed 14 convicts, all but two of them foreigners, in a move that drew international condemnation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Australian duo Myuran Sukumaran and fellow convicted drug smuggler Andrew Chan were among those executed by firing squad on Indonesia's Nusakambangan island on April 29, 2015.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Under Indonesian law, each convict would face a squad of 10 gunmen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014, has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking, saying that the country is facing a drug emergency.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: <a href="http://www.themercury.com.au/news/breaking-news/indonesia-plans-30-executions-in-2017/news-story/cefcec2f011e76ca28cda5355e350f3e" target="_blank">The Mercury</a>, June 13, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Indonesia Plans to Execute 18 Drug Convicts This Year, 30 in 2017</span></b></div><br />Jakarta. The Indonesian government plans to execute 18 drug convicts this year, and 30 more in 2017, Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo said on Monday (13/06).<br /><br />The third round of executions will take place on the notorious Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java, after the Idul Fitri holidays early next month, Prasetyo said during a meeting with House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs.<br /><br />"I hope there will be no changes. We have planned it to take place after the fasting month at Nusakambangan. Some convicts [on death row] have been moved there," Prasetyo said, as quoted by Detik.com.<br /><br />The number of prisoners in this round of executions is still being decided, he said, as authorities weigh up the Nusakambangan facility and its capacity.<br /><br />Prasetyo said the government would execute 30 more drug convicts in 2017 as it ramps up its war against drugs.<br /><br />"The budget has been allocated for the death penalty. We still have 58 drug convicts on the death row list, and another 152 death row inmates for crimes such as murder, terrorism and others," the attorney general said.<br /><br />Indonesia executed 14 convicts by firing squad last year, including citizens of Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands and Nigeria, despite repeated pleas for mercy from foreign governments and international organizations and activists.<br /><br />Australia temporarily recalled its ambassador to Indonesia after the executions of two of the infamous "Bali Nine" drug smugglers, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan. The relationship has since been restored.<br /><br />Source: Jakarta Globe, June 13, 2016<br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Bali 9 Drug trafficking Indonesia Joko Widodo L. Sandiford Mary J. Veloso Ramadan Serge Atlaoui Indonesia Plans to Execute 18 Drug Convicts This Year, 30 in 2017

The Indonesian government plans to execute 30 death row convicts in 2017, a deputy attorney general says. "The number of convicts to be...

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