UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Indonesia on Friday not to execute prisoners on death row for drug crimes, including citizens of Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year hiatus. Five foreigners were among six people executed last month, the first executions since Indonesian President Joko Widodo took office in October last year.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ban had spoken with Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on Thursday “to express his concern at the recent application of capital punishment in Indonesia.”
“The United Nations opposes the death penalty under all circumstances,” Dujarric said in a statement on Friday. “The secretary-general appeals to the Indonesian authorities that the executions of the remaining prisoners on death row for drug-related offenses not be carried out.”
Indonesian Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo said this month that two Australians — Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31 — are among eight prisoners due to be executed after Widodo rejected their clemency pleas last month.
Citizens of Brazil, Malawi, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Vietnam were executed by firing squad last month.
The case of the two Australian men threatens to strain already fragile relations between Australia and Indonesia.
The two were identified as leaders of the “Bali Nine,” a group of nine arrested on Bali in 2005 and convicted of attempting to smuggle 8kg of heroin to Australia. Other members of the group have been sentenced to long prison terms.
Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Armanatha Nasir said the death penalty was in accordance with Indonesian law and did not conflict with respect for human rights as governed by the constitution.
“The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that the death penalty can be imposed for the most serious crimes,” Nasir said by text message. “Indonesia is of the view that drug crimes constitute most serious crimes that have indiscriminately made millions of victims suffer and caused many deaths.”
Australia is pursuing a last-ditch deal with Indonesia to save its citizens, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop said on Thursday. She said last month she would not rule out recalling Australia’s envoy if the executions went ahead.
Brazil and the Netherlands recalled their ambassadors in Indonesia, and Nigeria summoned Indonesia’s ambassador in Abuja after last month’s executions.
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