Deputy Minister Of Law And Human Rights Will Discuss Death Crime Adjustments For Drug Convicts In The Narcotics Bill

Deputy Minister of Law (Wamenkum), Eddy Hiariej said that the proposed adjustment of the death penalty for drug offenders would be input in the discussion of the Narcotics Bill.

This was conveyed by Eddy in response to a proposal that appeared in the discussion of the Criminal Preparation Bill at Commission III of the DPR, Tuesday, December 2. During the meeting, the Narcotics Policy Reform Network (JRKN) suggested that narcotics crimes not be sentenced to death because they were not serious crimes.

Eddi Hiariej initially explained that the entry of articles related to narcotics in the Criminal Adjustment Bill was to fill the void. Because according to him, in the new Criminal Code, a number of articles related to narcotics were revoked in the hope that the Narcotics Law would be discussed.

"Therefore, we took a shortcut. The shortcut is, one, to restore the articles that have been revoked in the Criminal Code Law which are put back into the Criminal Adjustment Act so that there is no legal vacuum," said Eddy Hiariej at the Paleman Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, December 2.

Even so, Eddy said, the input submitted by the community group would later be discussed further in the preparation of the Narcotics-related Law which is currently in the 2026 Prolegnas. He considered that this input would enrich the discussion of the Narcotics Law.

"But I think this input, ladies and gentlemen, without compromising respect, maybe later we will talk about the details in the preparation of the Narcotics Law. Because he is included in the 2026 Prolegnas," he said.

"This (input) will enrich us in the preparation of the Narcotics Law," continued Eddy.

Previously, the Narcotics Policy Reform Network (JRKN) proposed that narcotics crimes not be sentenced to death.

"Natical policies are not feasible or should not be subject to the death penalty. If we refer to the norms of international legal instruments which we also view as national legal norms, because we have ratified them," said a representative from JRKN, Ma'ruf Bajamal, at the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, December 2.

Ma'ruf assessed that the provision of the death penalty was a burden for the correctional system in Indonesia. He also gave an example of many death row convicts for narcotics cases who were executed but not much evidence.

"The death penalty for narcotics cases acting as couriers is often a victim of the crime of trafficking in persons or TIP, and the criteria for imposing the death penalty for people who provide narcotics that result in death or disability have no clear limits and have the potential to criminalize the use of narcotics," he explained.

Therefore, Ma'ruf said that the death penalty in narcotics cases was not in line with the spirit of criminal reform in the new Criminal Code. Because drug cases are not among the most serious crimes based on the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

"Regarding the death penalty in this narcotics case, for us, it is not in line with the spirit of criminal reform in the new Criminal Code," he said.