BACKGROUND INFORMATION Death sentences in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad. The person under sentence of death has the choice of standing or sitting and of using a blindfold or cover for their head. Firing squads consist of 12 people, six of whom are supplied with live ammunition and six whose guns are loaded with blanks. The squad fires from a distance of between five and 10 metres. To Amnesty International’s knowledge, at least 99 people are believed to be under sentence of death in Indonesia. Thirteen of these were convicted and sentenced to death in 2006. At least one person was executed in 2007: Ayub Bulubili (see UA/96/07, ASA 21/005/2007, 23 April 2007, and follow-up). His was the first execution recorded by Amnesty International in Indonesia since September 2006. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unreservedly in all cases. Today 131 countries are abolitionist in law or practice. An execution cannot be undone, yet the risk of error is inescapable. In 2006, Indonesia ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which states that "every human being has the inherent right to life." However, the Indonesian authorities did not authorize ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aimed at the abolition of the death penalty.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Bahasa Indonesian, English or your own language: - calling for the preparations for the execution of Amrozi bin H. Nurhasyim to be halted immediately, and for his sentence to be commuted; - calling for the death sentences of Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudera to be commuted to life sentences; - calling on the Indonesian authorities to commute all death sentences in Indonesia, as they constitute the violation of one the most fundamental of human rights – the right to life; - urging the authorities to release information on the number of prisoners currently under sentence of death in Indonesia, the date of sentencing, and the status of appeals against sentences, and release information on the procedures for informing prisoners and their families when their execution is imminent; - calling on the Government of Indonesia to sign and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR and commit themselves to working towards the abolition of the death penalty.
APPEALS TO: President President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President RI, Istana Merdeka, Jakarta Pusat 10110, Indonesia Fax: + 62 21 345 2685 + 62 21 526 8726 Salutation: Dear President Attorney General Mr. Hendarman Supandji, Jaksa Agung, J. Sultan Hasanuddin No. 1, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia Fax: + 62 21 725 0213 Salutation: Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO: Governor of Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha Jl. Basuki Rahmat Renon Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia Fax: +62 361 236 037 Salutation: Dear Governor and to diplomatic representatives of Indonesia accredited to your country. PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.******** Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 0DW, London, United Kingdom
