Coordinating Minister Yusril: 300 Death Penalty Convicts Have Not Been Executed In Connection With Diplomacy

Yusril Ihza Mahendra/DOK via Instagram @yusrilihzamhd

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections (Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra said as many as 300 death row inmates who had not been executed by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) were partly hampered by diplomatic relations with other countries.

According to him, the execution of the death penalty, especially for foreign nationals (WNA), relates to Indonesia's relations with many countries and usually considers the direction of the president.

"The problem is because this concerns other countries, humanitarian considerations and others, people apply for clemency and others to the president, as a result, many of the executions of the death penalty have been delayed," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 6.

His party continues to coordinate with the AGO regarding the execution of the death of prisoners, especially for foreigners. The AGO is the party authorized to carry out the execution of prisoners.

Moreover, he continued, recently there have been several policies for repatriating the death penalty for foreigners to their home country, such as Mary Jane Veloso, who is a citizen of the Philippines and Serge Areski Atlaui who is from France.

Prior to the process of transferring the death row convict to foreigners, Yusril admitted that he had sent a letter to Attorney General Sanitiar (ST) Burhanuddin stating that the government with the approval and direction of President Prabowo Subianto would send the person concerned back to his country, so that no execution of the inmate who was sentenced to death was carried out.

"Because in the end, regarding the consideration that prisoners are executed or not or transfer from primers to their home countries, all of them are directions from the President himself," he said.

Previously, Attorney General ST Burhanuddin revealed that 300 convicts were sentenced to death, most of whom were foreigners.

He revealed that the majority of foreigners sentenced to death were convicts of drug cases originating from Europe, America, and Nigeria. In taking action against the convicts, the Prosecutor's Office cooperates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu).

However, according to him, the punishment is difficult to implement because in the process it must consider diplomatic relations between Indonesia and other countries.

"We have spoken several times, at that time the foreign minister was still the mother (Retno Marsudi, ed.). She revealed that they were still trying to become members of this, this member. Please not just, we will be attacked later," said Burhannudin.

In addition, he continued, the government is also considering the fate of Indonesian citizens (WNI) who are convicts in other countries.

"So, I did say, we are tired that we have demanded the death penalty, it cannot be implemented. That may be our problem," he said.