JAKARTA, Indonesia — Eight convicted drug smugglers, including a Ghanaian, will be transferred to an Indonesian prison island this week for imminent execution despite international appeals for clemency, an official said Monday.
In addition to the Ghanaian, seven men from Australia, France, Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia, and a woman from the Philippines, will face a firing squad after being moved to Nusa Kambangan prison, Attorney General’s Office spokesman Tony Spontana said, without giving exact dates. Six other drug smugglers, including five foreigners, were executed in January at the same prison, located off Indonesia’s main island of Java.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has rejected appeals by Australia’s government for clemency for the two Australians, and vowed not to grant mercy to any other drug offenders because Indonesia is suffering a “drug emergency.”
The Ghanaian government is yet to plead for clemency
United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern at reports indicating trials for some of the defendants did not meet international standards of fairness and have called for an immediate halt to further executions in Indonesia.
Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws. On Jan. 18, it executed six drug convicts by firing squad, including foreigners from Brazil, Malawi, Nigeria, the Netherlands and Vietnam, brushing aside last-minute appeals by foreign leaders.
There are 133 people on death row in Indonesia, including 57 for drug crimes and two convicted terrorists.
Source: GhanaWeb
