Human rights activists denounce her practice Indonesia, which has sentenced dozens of people to death through Zoom, or other similar applications, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, during “tough” processes that have damaged their ability to defend themselves.
The Southeast Asian country made online trials after the restrictions due to it covid-19 forced the courts to adjourn most public trials, mainly for drug or murder cases, crimes that carry the death penalty.
However, the pandemic did not reduce the number of death sentences handed down in Indonesia, on the contrary: At least 177 people were sentenced to the end of their sentences in 2020, according to Amnesty International, compared to 80 in 2019, according to AMPE.
In about 100 cases the judges saw the face of the accused only through the screen.
Most death row inmates were charged with drug trafficking, which is severely punished in the most populous Muslim country in the world. Many Indonesians and foreigners have been executed for this crime.
In April, 13 members of a trafficking ring, including three Iranians and a Pakistani, were sentenced to death following a digital trial for transporting 400kg of methamphetamine to Indonesia.
A Jakarta court on Wednesday sentenced six Islamist insurgents to end of sentences, again online, for their role in prison riots in the country in 2018, during which five members of the security forces were killed.
“Online hearings undermine the rights of those at risk of being sentenced to death,” said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International’s director for Indonesia.
“The end of the sentence is always a harsh punishment. But this tendency to impose itself through the internet increases cruelty and injustice, “he added.
At a time when the number of death sentences is declining worldwide, according to a report by Amnesty International, Indonesia went in the opposite direction in 2020, increasing the sentences compared to previous years.
But online trials are hampering defendants’ good defense, with hearings often interrupted by poor connections or other technical problems, NGOs say.
Their lawyers also complain that they are unable to speak to their clients due to restrictions imposed by covid-19. And families often cannot attend trials.
“These digital hearings are clearly to the detriment of the accused,” said Indonesian lawyer Dedi Setiadi.
Moratorium on executions
The Judiciary Review Committee has asked the Supreme Court to allow trials to take place again in person.
There is little data on the number of death sentences imposed on the Internet worldwide, but Indonesia stands out due to the large number of convicts.
Authorities in Singapore, where drug trafficking carries the death penalty, have imposed at least one death sentence by hanging since the beginning of the pandemic.
Indonesia has not carried out executions since 2016, enforcing a de facto moratorium, but courts are still imposing that sentence. A total of almost 500 people, including dozens of foreigners, are awaiting execution in Indonesia, according to Amnesty International.
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