Indonesia: Experts Differ Views on Death Penalty

Experts from various disciplines disapproved of death penalty by a firing squad, but disagreed among themselves on what the best form of death penalty should be.

Surgeon Jose Rizal said that shooting at the heart may not be accurate. "An accurate shot causes instant death, but it if misses, it takes time to die," he told the Constitutional Court during a judicial review session on the death penalty in Jakarta yesterday.

Father Charlie Burrows, a priest who stood by condemned narcotics case inmate, Nigerian Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa in Nusakambangan Prison, Central Java last June, said the inmate did not instantly die after the shot. Hansen was in pain for about seven minute prior to his death. The doctor then announced his death 3 minutes later. "So it took him 10 minutes to die," Father Burrows said.

Anaesthetics expert Sun Sunatrio said death by injection was the most 'humane' way to die, although death takes longer and errors in the injecting could occur. After the inmate loses consciousness, he will be injected with more drugs to stop the heart from beating. "But if he is still, he might feel extreme pain, like a heart attack," he explained.

The experts gave their testimonies during the judicial review of Law No. 2/PnPS/1964 on the Death Penalty Procedures, requested by Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron, who were charged with the 2002 Bali bombing. They asked medical experts Sun Sunatrio and Jose Rizal, religious leader Mudzakir from the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) and legal expert Rudy Satrio.

When the judge asked which penalty caused the least pain, Sun suggested death injection as it has the least risks, while Jose Rizal said hanging or chopping the head off. Mudzakir said the guillotine was best.

Rudy Satrio said Article 11 of the Criminal Code regulates execution by hanging. Death by firing squad has been carried out since 1964. In principle, Rudy said, death executions must be quick so as to cause as little pain as possible.

Source: Tempo Interaktif

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