(Reuters) — Tony Spontana, spokesman of Indonesia’s Attorney General, on Friday (April 24) said the date for the executions of 10 drug convicts has not yet been set.
Indonesia has asked foreign embassies to send representatives to a maximum security prison ahead of the expected execution of 10 drug convicts, although an official 72-hour notice of execution has not been given yet, diplomats said earlier in the day.
Among the convicted drug offenders set to face the firing squad are nationals from Australia, Brazil, France, Nigeria and the Philippines. The case has strained relations between the governments of those nations and Indonesia.
“I cannot confirm yet until the Indonesian Attorney General officially announces it and says that the execution is going to happen next week, or two weeks from now, because it depends on one case — Zainal Abidin’s case that hasn’t ended. We hope it’s either today, or next week, when we receive the result of the judicial review application then we will announce the execution date,” Spontana said.
He said authorities are waiting for a decision to be made on the judicial review of Indonesian convict Zainal Abidin.
“We are (almost) done with the whole legal process which were filed by all convicts. The only one person that haven’t completed is Zainal Abidin because he filed a judicial review, which is his right. Until today we haven’t received the result, and we hope the we could get the result, so we could decide the execution date,” he said.
Spontana was also asked about preparations for the executions.
“Because the preparation is already 100 percent completed. Yesterday on April 23 the Attorney General issued a command letter for the prosecutors in five Attorney General regions to prepare and to do this execution afterwards,” he said.
On a visit to Indonesia, Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay is expected to meet President Joko Widodo also on Friday to make a final appeal for mercy on behalf of one its citizens that is among the group of 10.
France has warned Indonesia that the executions could damage ties, while Australia has pleaded repeatedly for clemency for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two Australians arrested as ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine drug-smuggling group.
Indonesia has harsh punishments for drug crimes and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap. Six executions have been carried out so far this year.
