News Focus: INDONESIA TO EXECUTE FIVE MORE DEATH ROW CONVICTS By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 4 (ANTARA) - After taking two Nigerians to a firing squad for drug offenses last week, the Indonesian prosecutors are now planning to execute five more death row convicts this month.

The plan to execute the five convicts who have been on death row for years is part of the Indonesian authorities' efforts to speed up the execution of 57 convicts, some of whom have been on death row since 1994.

Deputy Attorney General for General Crimes Affairs, AH Ritonga said that the execution of the five death row convicts would be carried out by higher prosecutor's offices as soon as the Attorney General's Office (AGO) serve them notices for the execution.

"We are now about to serve notice to higher prosecutor's offices which respectively will carry out the execution," Ritonga said on Wednesday.

Two Nigerians on death row for dug offenses, Samuel Iwuchukwu Okoye and Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa, were executed in Central Java last month. Okoye was sentenced to death by the district court of Tangerang, Banten, on July 5, 2001 for smuggling in 3.8 kg of heroin to Indonesia through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

In the meantime, Anthony was given the death penalty by the same court on August 13, 2001 for circulating 3.2 kg of heroin in Indonesia.

The convicts facing the executions this month have all tried the necessary legal avenues and have no longer other appeals so that the prosecutor's offices will not face any constraints to carry out the executions.

"The executions will be carried out in order to eliminate doubts among the public on the law enforcement in Indonesia," Ritonga said as quoted by 'Republika' daily on Wednesday.

One of the five death row convicts is Dukun AS alias Ahmad Suraji, a man sentenced to death for murdering 42 women to enrich his witchcraft power in North Sumatra in 1984-1994.

The North Sumatra Higher Public Prosecutor's Office has started an administrative process for preparations to execute him.

Dukun AS alias Ahmad Suradji was sentenced to death in April 27, 1997 by the Lubuk Pakan district court in Deli Serdang. His appeals in higher courts and subsquent application for clemency were all rejected.

Gortap Marbun, chief of the North Sumatra Higher Public Prosecutor's Office, said Wednesday, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) had already served notice to carry out Suradji's execution.

However, the exact time for the execution had not yet been set as the office had first to complete certain administrative procedures, coordinate the execution plan with the police, court and the law and human rights ministry.

The office also still had to prepare the convict himself and his family for the execution, Marbun said.

Tubagus Maulana Yusuf is another convict on death row from Rangkasbitung, (Lebak), Banten. Rangkasbitung district court sentenced him to death last March for murdering eight people, who were the victims of his attempt to enrich his witchcraft power. Tubagus did not appeal or ask for clemency, however.

The other death convicts are Rio Alek Bulo Sumiarsih and Sugeng. Rio Alek Bulo Sumiarsih was sentenced to death for murder case by the Purwokerto court in Central Java. His appeal was rejected in 2007. Sugeng meanwhile was sentenced to death by the Surabaya district court, also for a murder case, in East Java. His appeal was rejected in 1995.

The government last month announced its plan to speed up the executions of convicts who had been on death row. Most of the death row convicts were sentenced for drug offenses.

According to Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, there are 57 drug offenders on death row whose executions would be sped up by his office.

Records made available at the public prosecutor's office show that since 1994 there had been 72 drug criminals on death row for narcotics offenses in Indonesia. Five of them had been executed, one has died natural death, five have had their sentence reduced to life, and one has received imprisonment reduction to 15 years.

The five death row convicts who had previously been executed were Nigerians Anthony and Okoye (executed last month in Central Java), Ayodya Prasad Chaubay, Saelow Prasad and Namsong, who faced a firing squad in Medan, North Sumatra, several years ago.

The large number of death row convicts having their execution delayed is due to the fact that many of them are filing a judicial review or asking for pardon. The submission of a judicial review, or a request for pardon is not restricted by a deadline.

Some have filed requests for a judicial review such as Hunphery Ejke alias Doctor, Mgs Zaenal Abidin and Rahen Agbaje and have waited for years, but they have yet to receive answers.