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| National |
| Malawian on death row in Indonesia |
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by
Bright Sonani, 07 October 2004
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08:56:19
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A Malawian national has been named among several foreigners in Indonesia whose pleas for clemency from facing execution for drug trafficking-related cases have been recently rejected by Jakarta.
A recent edition of the Jakarta Post named Denis Namaona as one of the many drug trafficking convicts who have been on death row since 1996 and efforts to have their cases reviewed have been unsuccessful.
In Indonesia there is no limit as to how long a death row convict can be in prison before being executed and human rights bodies have raised concerns that this serves as a double punishment — death and imprisonment — for the convicts.
The newspaper, which did not specify where the 39-year-old Namaona was serving his sentence, said the Malawian had his plea for clemency rejected along four others — two of them from Nigeria and two from Nepal and Pakistan respectively.
“According to existing laws, convicts on death row may appeal to a higher court, and ask for sentence review from the supreme court. If the courts reject their pleas they can request a presidential clemency twice,” reads the report.
The paper said the newly elected president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the country should maintain capital punishment in dealing with extraordinary crimes, thereby reducing hope to those already on death row.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Lucius Chikuni said his ministry was not aware of any Malawian in Indonesian prisons.
“The problem is we do not have a mission anywhere closer to that country,” he said.
Police Spokesman Willie Mwaluka also said the police has no information and promised to check the particulars of Namaona and if he has any records with the police.
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