Nov. 10
INDONESIA:
Yudhoyono Defends Clemency Gaffe, Says He's Been 'Very Selective'
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defended on Friday his decision to grant
clemency to drug convict Meirika Franola, who was found to still be running a
drug business from her prison cell after the president commuted her death
sentence.
Yudhoyono reiterated a previous statement made by the coordinating minister for
political, legal and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, that he would review the
clemency.
"I received a report that the person was again involved in an illicit drug
trafficking network," Yudhoyono said on the sidelines of the 5th Bali Democracy
Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali.
"If that is indeed correct, then I will review the clemency for the sake of
justice. I will make a just decision in order to support justice and truth," he
added.
The president, nevertheless, disputed critics who accused him of being reckless
in granting the clemency to Meirika on Sept. 26, commuting her death sentence
to life in prison.
Meirika was later found to be running a drug business from her cell in
Tangerang's Women's Penitentiary, after authorities caught Nur Aisyah with 775
grams of methamphetamine at Bandung's Husein Sastranegara Airport. Nur said she
was Meirika's courier.
Yudhoyono said he granted Meirika clemency because she was believed to have
been a mere courier, not a trafficker, let alone a drug ring leader, and that
there had been long, selective process involving the Supreme Court and related
cabinet ministers that led to the conclusion that she deserved the clemency.
"I've rejected a lot of requests for clemency to commute death sentences, as
well as for those other than the death sentence. I've been very selective," the
president told journalists.
He added he would not blame Supreme Court officials nor his cabinet ministers
for the blunder.
"They only gave considerations, and I'm the one who's responsible," Yudhoyono
said.
He repeated his aversion to the death penalty, saying it went against the
global trend.
"We must not wrongly punish people," he said.
The president added that Indonesia has managed to save 101 of its citizens from
the death penalty in other countries, out of 302 Indonesian citizens on death
row abroad.
(source: Jakarta Globe)
SINGAPORE:
Time for Singapore to move away from Death Penalty
Think Centre Press Release 9 November 2012
"The taking of life is too absolute, too irreversible, for one human being to
inflict it on another, even when backed by legal process." says the United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - Report of the Secretary-General on
Moratorium on the use of the death penalty, 3 August 2012.
Will Singapore draw lessons from the UNSG Report?
Think Centre (TC) is sharing our Position Paper on the proposed changes to the
mandatory death penalty, which has also been presented to the Ministry of Home
Affairs and the Ministry for Law, to lend our perspective and feedback to the
Ministries. TC appreciates the Singapore government's initiative to review the
mandatory death penalty.
On 27 August 2012, Think Centre, together with the National Solidarity Party,
held a public consultation on the proposed changes to the mandatory death
penalty, with an aim to gather feedback from the public as well as to encourage
public discussion on the mandatory death penalty.
Recognize Death Penalty as a Human Rights Issue
Think Centre has been calling for the moratorium and abolishment of the death
penalty since the year 2000. We hope the recent changes are part of an ongoing
process towards the total abolishment of the death penalty and the need to find
alternative forms of humane punishments. It is our view that the death sentence
is a cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment and we urge the government to
adopt a rights-based approach towards the proposed legislative changes.
Think Centre also urge the government to take a longer-term perspective on the
impact adopting such a position would have on our society's attitudes and views
on human dignity as well as upholding values such as compassion, leniency, and
in giving everyone a 2nd chance. This would go a long way towards our vision of
building a more caring community.
Below are the links to our position papers and the summary of feedback from the
public.
Think Centre's Summary of the Public Consultation on 27 August
2012--http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=3131
Think Centre's Position Paper (updated version) --
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=3132
NSP's Position Statement
http://nsp.sg/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NSP-Position-Statement-on-Proposed-Changes-
to-MDP-8-Nov-2012-RELEASE-VERSION.pdf
(source: Scoop Media)
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