JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS — Amnesty International Indonesia has called on the Indonesian government to immediately implement a moratorium on the death penalty following the repatriation of British citizen and death row inmate, Lindsay June Sandiford, to the United Kingdom. Executive Director Usman Hamid emphasized that while the decision spares Sandiford from execution in Indonesia, it also underscores the urgent need for broader legal reform toward abolishing capital punishment.

“Repatriating a foreign national facing the death penalty in Indonesia indirectly saves them from execution, particularly if their home country has already abolished capital punishment,” said Usman. “However, this protection does not apply to those whose countries still uphold the death penalty, leaving them vulnerable to the same fate upon return.”

He noted that individuals such as Sandiford, Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines, and Serge Atlaoui from France have a better chance of avoiding execution since their countries no longer practice capital punishment. Yet, he warned that more than 90 other foreign nationals remain on Indonesia’s death row, some from nations that still enforce the death penalty, including Iran and Nigeria.

Usman urged the Indonesian government to commute the sentences of foreign death row inmates before repatriating them. “Such a move would not only demonstrate Indonesia’s commitment to human rights but also represent an important step toward legal reform consistent with global efforts to end the death penalty,” he stated.

Sandiford’s prolonged uncertainty, he added, amounted to psychological torture and a violation of human dignity. Her case serves as a stark reminder that the death penalty not only takes lives but also undermines the very principles of humanity.