Govt Urged to End Death Penalty: Indonesia

Indonesia is now a democratic country of sorts and as such it seems the government wants or is urged to adopt certain policies of other democratic countries. One of these being the abolishment of the death penalty.

In my usual foresight I can see nothing beneficial in Indonesia adopting this policy. At the moment under the current laws the death penalty is only handed down for those convicted of drug trafficking, premeditated murder and terrorism. If Indonesia does adopt the proposed policy of abolishing the death penalty then it will not deter those radicals bent on murdering westerners in their country. They will know that the death penalty is off the table and they will have a comfy life in an Indonesian jail.

According to the report in the JP a delegation of European Union ambassadors met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla to ask that Indonesia abolish the death penalty. The delegation said capital punishment was a violation of the basic right to life. EU delegates expressed concerns over the death penalty and requested the Indonesian government amend its laws to abolish capital punishment.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla told the delegates they are not going to scrap the death penalty because it is still needed and that the number of executed prisoners since 1945 was small. Since Indonesia gained independence in 1945 authorities have executed 71 people for criminal offences.