Indonesia allows families to see Nigerians lined up for execution

The families of six Nigerians and eight others on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking offences were granted last visits on Thursday as their executions loomed, a lawyer said.

The lawyer, Antonius Karwayu, who represented two of the convicts, said that the convicts could face a firing squad at the Nusa Kambangan prison complex off the coast of Java on Thursday.

Karwayu said, “The families have been notified that there would be executions and the convicts had been asked for their last wishes.

“Their families were given until 3pm today to visit them so it is likely that the executions would be carried out tonight.”

 The Attorney General’s office has not announced a date for the executions but spokesman Muhammad Rum confirmed that 14 convicts would be executed soon.

“I have only been informed of those three names,” he said.

The Community Legal Aid Institute, which advocates for the convicts, said the convicts facing execution were four Indonesians, six Nigerians, two Zimbabweans, one Indian and one Pakistani.

Local and international human rights groups have urged Indonesian President Joko Widodo to halt the impending executions.

In 2015 Indonesia executed 14 death-row convicts in a move that drew criticism from the UN and the EU.

According to the Indonesian Justice Ministry, about 121 people are currently on death row in Indonesia, including 35 foreigners, mainly for drug-related crimes.

President Joko has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking since his election in 2014, saying the country is facing a drug emergency.

[NAN]