Nigerian To Be Executed, Amnesty Begs Indonesia For Mercy!

5 Nigerians Face Execution In Indonesia

Amnesty International, a human right group have called out to Indonesia authorities to desist from the executing foreigners charged with drug trafficking on Wednesday.

14 people including 5 Nigerian, a Zimbabwean,a Pakistani, an Indian and an Indonesia , all on death row were on told they had 72 hours to live on Tuesday.

Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South East Asia and the Pacific has urged the Indonesian President Joko Widodo 'jokowi' not to carry out such act so as to avoid a bad reputation in world history.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, Josef Benedict, expressed concerns that some of the prisoners were convicted in unfair trials and have not submitted clemency request to the President.

“President Widodo’s era was supposed to represent a new start for human rights in Indonesia. Sadly, he could preside over the highest number of executions in the country’s democratic era at a time when most of the world has turned its back on this cruel practice,” said

“There is no evidence to support President Widodo’s position. The death penalty does not deter crime. Carrying out executions will not rid Indonesia of drugs. It is never the solution, and it will damage Indonesia’s standing in the world.”

“If President Widodo is serious about claiming a place for Indonesia on the world stage and as a leader for the region, he cannot ignore its human rights obligations. The first step towards that must be a moratorium on executions with a view to ridding Indonesia of the unjust punishment once and for all.” Benedict said.

Amnesty International also gathered that at least a dozen death row prisoners could be executed as soon as this weekend, many of them for drug offences.

If we could remember last year, drug foreigner drug traffickers including a Nigerian was executed whereas Filipino Mary Jane Veloso, a housemaid and mother of two was excluded.

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Nigeria Man Penis Electrocuted In Indonesia

Igweh Facing court Trial In Indonesian

Michael Titus Igweh, a Nigeria sentenced to death in 2003 for possessing 5.8 kg of heroin, had told a court in tears that the Indonesian police electrocuted his genitals compelling  him to admit to the charges filed up against him.

It was reported that Igweh, is among several prisoners on death row whom lawyers and human rights groups are frantically lobbying to save amid claims that they’re tortured and their legal cases riddled with corruption, errors and miscarriages of justice.

 “I was constantly beaten, and my genitals electrocuted until I was helpless", He said.

 In fact, I was threatened to be shot.” However, sources revealed that the third wave of executions in Indonesia could be held within days. It is understood the Nigerian embassy has now been notified that their national is among those to be killed.

According to the Indonesian human rights group, Imparsial executive director Al Araf, said an anti-death penalty coalition would present the staff of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, with a list of about 7 death row prisoners who had faced unfair trials and miscarriages of justice, saying:

 “It is very dangerous to carry out executions when the legal system is fragile and riddled with corruption, error, manipulation and collusion.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court last week rejected an application for a case review into the case of Igweh. His lawyer, Sitor Situmorang, said that Supreme Court judges should try cases based on the law and not to achieve popularity or appear tough.

 He said: “We accepted Michael’s case because we saw it had merit,” Sitor said. He said Igweh’s conviction was based on the testimony of 2 alleged accomplices, Marlena and Izuchukwu Okoloaja, who died in police custody and could therefore not testify in court.

 We believe Marlena and Okoloaja gave Michael’s name just so the police would stop torturing them. They were healthy when they’re arrested, they had no history of illness, they all just suddenly died while in police custody. We all know what that means.” 

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