Prosecution Watchdog to file complaints against Indonesia Attorney General over execution of Humphrey Ejike

The Commission for Public Prosecutions (Komjak) will file a complaint against Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo for what it claims was the unlawful execution of two death-row prisoners, whose clemency applications were still being processed.

Prasetyo has been deemed careless for ordering the execution of Nigerian citizen Humphrey Ejike Eleweke and Senegalese Seck Osmane on the notorious Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java, on July 29.

Prior to his execution, Ejike had refused to sign papers alleging that he was unfairly targeted along with other executed Nigerians.His case was one of those highligted in the Amnesty International report ‘When Justice Fails’ which raised concerns about his lack of access to a lawyer at the time of his arrest, torture and the impartiality of the court process.

“I am unable to confirm this yet, because there has been nothing related to the executions to be taken to the plenary meeting, as far as I know,” Komjak commissioner Ferdinand Andi Lolo said in Jakarta on Saturday, August 6th.

Ferdinand said the report the commission received will be discussed in a plenary meeting, in accordance with procedures. Deputy Komjak chairwoman Erna Ratnaningsih has confirmed receipt of the report against the attorney general, but was unable to confirm any follow-up actions.

“I have previously received complaints from Gurdip Singh and [the Indonesian Avocation Agency] Ganas,” Ratna said.

According to the complaints, both convicts were illegally executed as they were still involved in a clemency process. The executions should only have been carried out after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo rejected their clemency requests with an official presidential decree.

“Illegal executions can be categorized as a planned or unplanned acts of murder, as well as alleged violations of basic human rights,” Indonesian Anticorruption Society (MAKI) coordinator Boyamin Saiman said last Friday.

According to Boyamin, the attorney general can be sanctioned with a either warning or dishonorable discharge for carelessly carrying out the executions, as the convicts informed his office that they had applied for clemency.

The execution of four death-row inmates and the testimony of one of them, Freddy Budiman, about the alleged involvement of members of the National Police, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and Indonesian Military (TNI) in drug smuggling, has triggered strong criticisms in recent days.

Source: Jakarta Globe