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| Attorney General M Prasetyo |
Indonesia will not scrap the death penalty any time soon despite a proposal by some of its lawmakers to abolish it during a review of the country's criminal code, Indonesia's attorney general said.
According to a Jakarta Post report, Attorney General M Prasetyo said it "is still far too early to discuss" lifting the death penalty in Indonesia.
"There is a proposal, but we haven't discussed it yet," Prasetyo also said.
International pressure on Indonesia to scrap the death penalty has been mounting after it
executed 8 convicts, including foreign nationals, last month. It has executed 14 convicts since January.
Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipino sentenced to death over a drug case, was spared from execution at the last minute after the illegal recruiter who allegedly tricked her into transporting 2.6 kilograms of heroin turned herself over to police in Nueva Ecija province on April 28.
Hours before she was scheduled to be executed, President Benigno Aquino III talked to Indonesia's foreign minister about the need to turn Veloso into a witness against the drug syndicate that she says tricked her into becoming a drug mule.
A Malacanang spokesperson said Monday that the Philippine government is already working with Indonesia to build a case against the drug syndicate.
Despite that, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Monday that the government will not press Indonesia to allow Veloso to come back to the Philippines to testify against her alleged recruiter Christine Pasadilla, alias Kristina Sergio, and others.
Source: GMA news, May 4, 2015
Plans to scrap death penalty still in infancy: AGO
Attorney General M Prasetyo said on Monday that a proposed plan to abolish the death penalty was still only at the discussion stage, following a proposal from several legislators to have it scrapped in the upcoming revision of the Criminal Code (KUHP).
"It's still far too early to discuss it. There is a proposal, but we haven't discussed it yet," said Prasetyo. The House of Representatives has included the revision of the KUHP in this year's priority programs.
International demands for Indonesia to abolish the death penalty have intensified following two rounds of executions of drug convicts since January.
The 1st-round consisted of 6 inmates from Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Malawi. The 2nd batch comprised 8 citizens of Indonesia, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana and Brazil
Source: Jakarta Post, May 4, 2015
