Indonesia retains death penalty despite decade-long execution moratorium

Indonesia’s most recent executions took place in 2016, involving four individuals convicted of drug trafficking. Since then, the nation has observed a de facto halt on carrying out death sentences, yet courts continue to impose capital punishment. The new Criminal Code (KUHP), effective from January, redesignates the death penalty as a “special punishment” reserved for extreme cases, requiring it to be an alternative to life imprisonment or a fixed term, and allowing a ten-year probation period during which sentences may be reduced for good behavior.

Kontras, a human-rights organization, recorded 639 people on death row as of April, up from 596 the previous August, with drug-related crimes accounting for the majority of cases. The group argues that applying the death penalty to drug offenses conflicts with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which limits capital punishment to the “most serious crimes.” The report was released ahead of the World Day against the Death Penalty on October 10.