Indonesia Executes 5 Foreigners, One Woman For Drug Crimes, Sparking Criticism
Five foreigners and one local woman convicted for drug-related crimes have been put to death in Indonesia through a firing squad as one of the remaining two of the so-called "Bali Nine" awaits clemency from President Joko Widodo.
The convicts -- one each from Vietnam, Brazil, the Netherlands, Malawi and Nigeria -- were the first to be executed under Indonesia's new president. Five of them were shot by five firing squads of 12 paramilitary police officers each at exactly the same time, news.com.au reported.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has asked Widodo to grant mercy to Myuran Sukumaran, whose plea for clemency has been denied.
The mercy plea for another "Bali Nine" prisoner, Australian Andrew Chan, has yet to be heard.
Sukumuran and Chan have been on death row since 2006 after being convicted of plotting to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin to Australia.
Widodo emphasized that he will not show mercy to any of the other prisoners convicted for drug-related crimes. However, Julian McMahon, the pair's lawyer, said stalling a final decision on Chan's request is crucial for the negotiation between Australia and Indonesia.
"There's no urgency to resolve it," McMahon was quoted by ABC as saying. "And my hope is the question can be tackled in full with great care by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Prime Minister in their dealings with the Indonesians."
Both governments of Brazil and the Netherlands condemned the executions of their citizens.
"Using the death penalty, which is increasingly rejected by the international community, seriously affects relations between our countries," the spokesman of Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff said in a statement.
Rouseff was said to be "distressed and outraged" after Indonesia denied her pleas to spare the life of Brazilian Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, who was convicted in 2004 of smuggling cocaine into Indonesia, ABC reported.
The Netherlands temporarily recalled its ambassador to Indonesia over the execution of Ang Kiem Soei, with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders saying: "It is a cruel and inhuman punishment that amounts to an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity."
European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini urged Indonesia to stop the executions, describing death penalty as "a cruel and inhumane punishment."
"The announced execution of six death row inmates in Indonesia, including a Dutch citizen, for drug offenses is deeply regrettable. This would be the second round of executions since November 2013," she said in a statement. "The EU is opposed to capital punishment in all cases and without exception, and has consistently called for its universal abolition."
Mogherini also said that death penalty "fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity."
Amnesty International denounced Indonesia's executions. "The new administration has taken office on the back of promises to make human rights a priority, but the execution of six people flies in the face of these commitments," said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International's research director for South East Asia and the Pacific.