Indonesia to execute drug convicts after Eid holiday

By Ainur Rohmah

JAKARTA (AA) – Indonesia’s attorney general revealed Thursday that the country is likely to hold its next round of executions after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr following the holy month of Ramadan.

"Execution when fasting [during Ramadan] is not good," kompas.com quoted Muhammad Prasetyo as saying.

Indonesia has some of the harshest anti-narcotic laws in the world, and President Joko Widodo declared a "drug emergency" last year.

Prasetyo said his office was also waiting for the ongoing legal process of a drug convict who filed a judicial review against his death sentence.

"On the 25th [of May], there is still a judicial review filed [by an inmate]."

He was referring to Freddy Budiman, an Indonesian sentenced to death in 2013 for smuggling 1.4 million ecstasy pills who is set to appear at the Cilacap District Court in Java island next week.

Prasetyo even singled Budiman out, with detik.com quoting him saying, “I will urge that Freddy be executed soon. Freddy Budiman is our target."

Authorities believe that Budiman, who is currently incarcerated at the Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java, is able to handle drug-related dealings from behind bars.

In 2015, he allegedly instructed his brother, Latief, to build a drug factory in North Jakarta before Latief was handed a life sentence earlier this year.

The National Narcotics Agency is also investigating reports that Freddy Budiman became a follower of Daesh after being radicalized in Nusakambangan by fellow inmate Aman Abdurrahman -- believed to be in charge of an umbrella organization of extremist groups supporting Daesh.

Authorities have expressed concern over the possible flow of drug money to terrorist networks.

Attorney General Prasetyo reiterated Thursday that preparations for the executions and coordination between related parties had been finalized, saying that only the timing and the names of those set to be brought before firing squads had to be determined.

Last week, Central Java police said that 15 inmates were set to be executed, among them 10 foreigners from China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

Prasetyo, however, denied the reported names.

Last year’s executions were heavily criticized by the international community, with some countries whose nationals had been put to death withdrawing ambassadors from Jakarta.

According to the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is expected to start around June 6 this year, which will be followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday around July 5.