The federal government had directed Pakistan Embassy in Jakarta to take up the case of Zulfiqar Ali with the Indonesian authorities at all levels and with all concerned institutions.
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The executions were carried out during a thunderstorm shortly after midnight on Nusakambangan Island in Central Java, as the government ignored global calls for clemency and pushed ahead with what it considers a war on drugs.
The Pakistani national’s execution has been “stopped for now” according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry due to diplomatic contacts between Pakistan and Indonesia. Indonesia rebuffed appeals fro…
Earlier this week, it was announced that there were to be 14 prisoners executed in this latest round, but Rachmad said authorities have yet to decide on the fate of 10 others now on death row, comprising citizens of India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.
Ricky Gunawan, lawyer for Humphrey Jefferson Ejike, said the execution process was “a complete mess”, according to BBC.
The four executions this morning were the third round of executions in Indonesia under the leadership of President Widodo. “Then apparently she is not executed”.
Australian artist Ben Quilty, a friend of the two dead Australians, lashed out at Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, tweeting: “There is a swathe of violence across the planet”.
The Indonesian government said the death penalty is necessary for narcotics-related crimes because the country was facing a drugs epidemic, particularly affecting young people.
“This was done not in order to take lives but to stop evil intentions, and the evil act of drug trafficking”, Rachmad said.
The bodies of Osmane and Igweh will be flown back to their respective countries, while Ejike will be buried in Indonesia. Fourteen were put to death past year.
(AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary). Family members and relatives of Zulfikar Ali, convicted of drug crimes, demand his release during a protest, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
“We were trembling with fear and we were in state of anxiety and depression”, said his sister Sajida Bibi. Mr. Zulfiqar Ali’s two appeals for judicial review, first in 2008 and again in 2013, were turned down and he had filed a clemency appeal with the Indonesian President. “Now, I have tears of happiness in my eyes, ” she added.
Friday’s executions, which happened at 12:45 am (1745 GMT Thursday), came after a day of frenetic activity, with distraught relatives travelling to Nusakambangan island to say farewells to their loved ones and ambulances carrying coffins over to the heavily guarded penal colony. Officials began tightening security at the prison several days ago, with more than 1,000 police sent to Cilacap, the port town, and the island.
Bayuni said: “The failure to do the verification before running the story is completely unprofessional and a serious violation of the main principles of good journalism”.
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Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said Friday the 10 inmates had been returned to their cells, suggesting their executions were not imminent. They said legal proceedings could take a long time.
