Jakarta archbishop slams death penalty

Jakarta's Catholic archbishop says he was saddened by Indonesia's severe treatment of Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Jakarta's Catholic Archbishop has expressed his concern over Indonesia's use of the death penalty, adding the treatment of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran was a show of force over humanity.

Following Easter Sunday mass in Jakarta, Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo told reporters the church was strictly against the use of the death penalty.

He said he was saddened by the heavy-handed relocation of Australians Chan and Sukumaran from Kerobokan prison to the island where their execution is being planned.

The operation involved hundreds of balaclava-clad police and Sukhoi fighter jets.

"These men were handcuffed, was it necessary to be guarded by Sukhoi?" the archbishop said.

"For me that's not strictness, for me that's very saddening because it's obvious that power wants to show itself and human dignity is not cherished." The archbishop said using the death penalty was "a failure of humanity".

He raised concerns also for Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, 30, who is set to face the firing squad with Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33.

Veloso has been denied a judicial review of her heroin smuggling trial, even though she didn't have a qualified translator, and despite concerns the domestic worker was set up.

"I'm not sure at all that she's guilty," Archbishop Ignatius said.

"I don't know about the evidence in the trial, but what I know that she doesn't understand English ... she knows only Tagalog and when she was on trial, no one translated in that language.

"How could the trial have been fair?" The Philippines government says it plans to file a second application for a judicial review for the single mother of two.

Meanwhile a court will on Monday decide whether Chan and Sukumaran can challenge the president's decision to deny them clemency.

Jakarta plans to send 10 drug offenders to the firing squad at once - its biggest ever execution - but is waiting for all to run out of legal options.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Jakarta archbishop slams death penalty | SBS News