Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the imminent execution of Fabianus Tibo (60), Dominggus Da Silva (42) and Don Marinus Riwu (48), who were charged with inciting communal conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi in 2000. Their appeal for clemency was rejected by President Yudhoyono on 10 November 2005. Today, the Supreme Court rejected a second review for clemency, which was made after new evidence had been uncovered. This evidence apparently indicates the involvement of police and army officers in the conflict, which explains the pressure to expedite their executions.
According to the Supreme Court, the second review was in violation of the law, according to which the President’s decision to grant or reject clemency the first time around is final.
Although no dates have been given for the execution of the three men, the AHRC has learnt that the coffins have been prepared, as have the separate teams for the shooting of the men. The teams have undergone psychological and spiritual counselling. It seems that the police are merely awaiting the order from authorities in Central Sulawesi to execute the men.
The AHRC is aware that there are 34 persons on death row in Indonesia. Between January and March 2006, 13 people were prosecuted under the death penalty, with five of them sentenced to death and awaiting execution. It must therefore be questioned why there is an urgency to execute these three men. There are concerns that the police and military wish to have the case closed through their execution.
There are also concerns that the execution of these men, all of whom are Catholic, may cause further sectarian violence in the area, which is already prone to tension and conflict. This is particularly relevant if the men are in fact innocent, as they have consistently claimed. Indonesia’s human rights commission, Komnas HAM, as well as religious leaders, interfaith bodies and other concerned groups and individuals have called upon the president to stay the execution and abolish the death penalty.
The AHRC urges you to add your voice to theirs, demanding clemency for the three men, as well as calling for all new evidence to be thoroughly investigated. Please see our earlier appeal for more information regarding the men’s trial (UA-205-2005). We also urge you to pressure President Yudhoyono to take steps to abolish the death penalty, particularly in view of Indonesia’s commitment to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Please amend the suggested letter from the previous appeal accordingly.
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
