Indonesian television networks say the government has carried out executions of people convicted of drug crimes.
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According to Amnesty International, at least 165 people are on death row in Indonesia and more than 40 percent of those for drug-related crimes.
Throughout the evening, lawyers and spiritual advisers of those sentenced to death came one by one to Cilacap’s sea port, the entry way to Nusakambangan island where executions by the government usually take place.
Reports in the Indonesia media said there is little chance of the 14 condemned people escaping the firing squad since the Attorney General’s Office had on Wednesday confirmed that all legal requirements had been fulfilled.
Among the group are four Indonesian prisoners and ten foreign nationals – from Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe, Senegal and South Africa.
“President Jokowi should not become the most prolific executioner in recent Indonesian history”, said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
But critics argue that capital punishment is not an effective deterrent and some have also questioned the accuracy of the government’s drug abuse statistics.
The organization is also concerned that some of the prisoners who could face the firing squad were convicted in manifestly unfair trials and have not submitted clemency request to the President.
News of the executions being days away sparked outrage from rights groups, which argue that numerous cases of prisoners on death row in Indonesia are marked by questionable and inhumane practices, including beatings, torture and forced confessions.
Muhammad Rum, a spokesman for the attorney-general, said the executions were the “implementation of the country’s “positive laws” and would not be delayed”.
Pakistani man, Zulfiqar Ali who had been informed that he would be executed Thursday night on the charges of smuggling heroin has urged Pakistani authorities to intervene in the matter and halt the execution.
Last year’s executions were heavily criticized by the worldwide community, with some countries – whose nationals had been put to death – withdrawing ambassadors from Jakarta. The previous administration under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono carried out 21 executions between 2005 and 2013.
He did not say which day on the weekend the execution would take place.
Justice Project Pakistan, a group that provides free legal representation, said that Pakistani diplomats were trying to save Ali but intervention by Pakistan’s president or prime minister is now required.
A year on, analysts say this week’s reshuffle is likely to be politically motivated as Widodo seeks to consolidate support from parties that have been keen to join the ruling coalition. All the cases have gone through a long legal process including appeals, he said.
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The priest of convicted former Indonesian migrant worker Merri Utami, “was told to prepare for tonight”, said her lawyer Ricky Gunawan.
