Indonesian President Joko Widodo

INDONESIA: DEATH PENALTY MAINTAINED AMID CRITICISM

March 30, 2017:

March 30, 2017: Indonesia has decided to keep capital punishment in the country's judicial system despite a call from the United Nations for a worldwide moratorium on executions.
Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said on March 29 that the government would maintain the death penalty in its Criminal Code (KUHP), which is currently being amended at the House of Representatives.
“We are just waiting for the right time [to execute criminals]. There are a lot of important things concerning us right now, but in the future we will still [implement the death penalty],” Prasetyo said.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has defended the Attorney General Office's decision to impose the ultimate punishment for serious drug offenses. Since his inauguration in 2014, there have been three rounds of executions, despite international outcries.
When asked about the National Narcotics Agency’s advice that the AGO immediately execute 148 drug convicts, Prasetyo said prosecutors would examine each of those cases to ensure they punish the right prisoners.
“We all have the same goal. We have declared war on drugs, especially when it comes to targeting dealers and traffickers,” Prasetyo said.