URGENT ACTION APPEAL UPDATE
---------------------------------- Note: Please write on behalf of these people even though you may not have received the original UA when issued on June 24, 2004. Thanks! 17 September 2004 Further Information on UA 209/04 issued 24 June 2004 and re-issued 12 July 2004; 5 August 2004; 20 August 2004) - Death penalty/fear of imminent execution/legal concern INDONESIA Meirika Franola, alias Ola (f), aged 34, Indonesian national Rani Maharani (f) aged 29, Indonesian national Dany Maharwan (m), aged 32, Indonesian national Saelow Prasert (m), aged 62, Thai national Namsong Sirilak (f), aged 32, Thai national Samuel Iwuchekwu Okoye (m), aged 34, Nigerian national Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa (m), aged 37, Nigerian national Indra Bahadur Tamang (m), aged 24, Nepali national Muhammad Abdul Hafez (m), aged 36, Pakistani national Namaona Denis (m), aged 39, Malawian national Thai nationals Saelow Prasert and Namsong Sirilak are to be executed by the end of September 2004. The Prosecutor's office has publicly stated that final preparations are being made for their executions, which could occur within two weeks of the Presidential election which is due to take place on 20 September. The earliest possible date for the execution has been announced as 23 September. Saelow Prasert and Namsong Sirilak have reportedly been informed of their imminent execution. They were sentenced to death for drug-trafficking in 1994, together with Indian national Ayodhya Prasad Chaubey. He was executed by firing squad on 5 August 2004, making him the first person to be executed in Indonesia since 2001. Saelow Prasert and Namsong Sirilak's appeals for clemency were rejected in July 2004. As in the case of Ayodhya Prasad Chaubey, Amnesty International believes that their trials may not have been fair because they did not have access to legal representation before their trial or to interpreters during the police investigation. The eight other people named above had their appeals for presidential clemency rejected in June and July, which means that they are at imminent risk of execution. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unreservedly in all cases. Every death sentence is an affront to human dignity, every execution a symptom of a culture of violence, rather than a solution to it. Today, 118 countries are abolitionist in law or practice. At least 56 people are believed to be on death row in Indonesia. Before the executions carried out in 2001, there had been no executions in Indonesia for six years. The risk of error in applying the death penalty is inescapable, yet it is irrevocable. The Indonesian Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) noted in 2001 that ''Aside from being internationally recognized as a human rights violation in itself... the death penalty administered by a corrupt judiciary is extremely dangerous.'' Following his visit to Indonesia in July 2002, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers expressed concern regarding corruption within the judiciary. Amnesty International recognizes the need to address serious crime all over the world, including the trade in illicit drugs. However, the organization is convinced that the death penalty will not provide a solution. There is no clear evidence that the death penalty acts as a more effective deterrent against crime than other forms of punishment. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - calling on President Megawati Sukarnoputri to commute the death sentence of Thai nationals Saelow Prasert and Namsong Sirilak, who could be executed as early as 23 September 2004; - urging the authorities to review the trials of Saelow Prasert and Namsong Sirilak, and order a retrial if irregularities are found; - calling for the death sentences of the eight other people named above to also be commuted; - expressing deep concern about the renewal of executions in Indonesia and at the possibility of judicial error in the Indonesian criminal justice system, which increases the risk of the innocent being executed. APPEALS TO: (Fax numbers may be difficult to get through to. Please keep trying) President: President Megawati Sukarnoputri President RI Istana Merdeka Jakarta 10110 Indonesia Fax: 011 62 21 345 2685/ 526 8726/ 345 7782 Salutation: Dear President Attorney General: Muhammad Abdul Rachman Jaksa Agung Jl. Sultan Hasanuddin No. 1 Kebayoran Baru Jakarta Selantan 12130 Indonesia Fax: 011 62 21 725 0213 Salutation: Dear Attorney General COPIES TO: Chairman, Komnas HAM: Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia Jl Latuharhary No. 4B Menteng Jakarta Pusat 10310 Indonesia Fax: 011 62 21 392 5227 Salutation: Dear Chairman The Ambassador: The Royal Thai Embassy Jalan Imam Bonjol 74 Jakarta Pusat 10310 Indonesia Fax: 011 62 21 310 7469/390 4055 Salutation: Your Excellency Ambassador Soemadi Djoko M. Brotodiningrat Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia 2020 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington DC 20036 Fax: 1 202 775 5365 Email: [email protected] Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after October 29, 2004. Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights. This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal. Urgent Action Network Amnesty International USA PO Box 1270 Nederland CO 80466-1270 Email: [email protected] http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL ----------------------------------
