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Serge Atlaoui |
An expert called by Serge Atlaoui's lawyers tried on Monday to convince the Jakarta Administrative Court to examine the appeal of the Frenchman sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking,
The court has set a new hearing for June 15. The defense and the prosecution will make their final statements. The court should then reserve its decision.
In the appeal, Atlaoui, a welder, is challenging President Joko Widodo's decision to reject his request for clemency, claiming the Indonesian leader did not properly consider his case.
A plea for presidential clemency is typically a death row convict's final chance to avoid the firing squad.
France stepped up pressure on Indonesia in recent weeks to abandon plans to put Atlaoui to death, with President Francois Hollande warning of "consequences" if the execution goes ahead.
Atlaoui was arrested in a 2005 raid on a secret drug laboratory outside Jakarta. He has maintained his innocence, claiming that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylics plant.
However, police say he was a "chemist" in the drugs factory.
Widodo has insisted he will not change course on the death penalty, as Indonesia faces an emergency due to rising narcotics use.
Sources: Agencies, DPN, June 8, 2015