In a statement issued at the time, Ban recalled that under international law, if the death penalty is to be used at all, it should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, namely those involving intentional killing, and only with appropriate safeguards.

Drug-related offenses generally are not considered to fall under the category of “most serious crimes,” and Wednesday’s statement concluded with Ban urging all countries where the death penalty is still in place to join the movement and declare a moratorium on capital punishment with a view toward abolition.

Echoing that sentiment, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Coleville issued statement today underscoring that the High Commissioner, the Secretary-General, and other key UN entities had urged Indonesia time and time again not to proceed with these executions.

“We appeal once again most strenuously to Indonesia to reinstate its moratorium on the death penalty,” he said.

 

He noted, “Indonesia appeals for clemency when its own nationals face execution in other countries, so it is incomprehensible why it absolutely refuses to grant clemency for lesser crimes on its own territory.”

Photo: UNAIDS/D. Gutu