But President Joko Widodo has defended the use of the death penalty to combat rising narcotics use.
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An Indonesian English-language newspaper apologised on Friday after it ran a front-page story erroneously declaring that 14 drug convicts had been executed.
INDONESIA executed four prisoners convicted for drug offenses on Friday, despite global calls this past week to put a halt to executions.
Its Attorney General, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, said “Whether we accept it or not, it’s a matter of rule of law” – a line upheld earlier in the week by a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
“This is the first time that Amnesty International in Nigeria together with our supporters and activists are calling on the government to ensure that people at risk of executions are not executed”.
Authorities have not released a detailed list of the convicts who will face the firing squad but the Jakarta-based Community Legal Aid Institute said the group consists of four Indonesians, six Nigerians and one each from Pakistan, India, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“It was not a pleasant thing, but it was to implement the law”, he said, adding: “The executions are only aimed at halting drug crimes”.
The country had earlier indicated that it will execute 14 prisoners on death row for drug related offences, but reports indicated tha 10 of the convicts got a last-minute stay of execution. It follows the execution of 14 people past year for drug offenses.
Those executed are three Nigerians and a local, an official said.
Security was stepped up at the Indonesian embassy in Abuja on Thursday as protesters gathered to urge Indonesia to halt the executions.
A stream of ambulances carrying coffins arrived Thursday morning at the port town nearest to the Nusa Kambangan prison island, where the executions of the mostly foreign drug convicts will be carried out by firing squads.
“So, we are calling on the Indonesian government and all governments across the world to abolish the death penalty, to change the death penalty to prison terms especially for those who are now at risk of execution”.
According to the Indonesian Justice Ministry, about 121 people are now on death row in Indonesia, including 35 foreigners, mainly for drug-related crimes.
As of June, some 152 inmates in prisons nationwide are awaiting execution, according to Indonesian authorities.
The other was Indonesian woman Merri Utami, who was caught with heroin in her bag as she came through Jakarta airport and claims she was duped into becoming a drug mule.
“The executions were for now conducted on four convicts on death row”, he said hinting that the executions may be spread over multiple days.
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A total of 14 drug offenders were expected to be put to death on the day, but 10 convicts got a reprieve for the objective of a thorough review of their cases.
