[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 24



INDONESIA:

Support grows for death penalty for corruption convicts


Lawmakers, officials and anti-graft activists have thrown their weight
behind calls for the implementation of death penalty for some forms of
corruption, while also saying current criteria and procedures for imposing
the sentence lack clarity.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Agung Laksono said he fully
supported capital punishment for those found guilty of major corruption to
deter other people from engaging in graft.

"In other countries where corruption is widespread, there was a drastic
decline in the number of graft cases after the death penalty came into
effect," he said.

Agung, a seasoned Golkar Party politician, said graft convicts deserved
the death penalty because the crime damaged not only 1 or 2 families but
all society.

Corruption has remained widespread in the country a decade after political
reform, which mandated eradication of corruption as one of its main
priorities.

In the past six months alone, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
has arrested six active House lawmakers and scores of high-ranking
officials including a former Bank Indonesia governor. A number of
governors and former ministers have been jailed for graft since the
creation of the KPK in 2004.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has encouraged public discussion of the
death penalty for graft convicts, despite objections from human rights
groups.

KPK deputy chairman for prevention Haryono Umar also expressed support for
the death penalty for some of those found guilty.

"I think we must be tough on extraordinary corruption," he said.

Senior lawmaker Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) said the KPK law opened the possibility of seeking the
death penalty for corruption, adding it was necessary for the state to
create clearer regulations.

"Article 2 of the law on the KPK states those found guilty of corruption
can be subject to capital punishment in cases of war, natural disasters
and crises. But I think a judge needs clearer guidance for meting out such
a punishment," Gayus said.

He said capital punishment could be restricted to those who adversely
affect the people by stealing state money, such as corruption in a time of
natural disaster or embezzlement of education and health funds for the
poor.

Firdaus Ilyas of Indonesia Corruption Watch said that although the death
penalty remained controversial in such cases, he said judges had the power
to do impose it.

"To avoid arbitrary judgment, I think the criteria should take into
account the scale of impact on the people," he said.

(source: Jakarta Post)