Secretary-General Appeals to Indonesia to Cancel Announced Executions

SG/SM/16702

25 April 2015

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General appeals to the Government of Indonesia to refrain from carrying out the execution, as announced, of 10 prisoners on death row for alleged drug-related crimes.

Under international law, if the death penalty is to be used at all, it should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, namely those involving intentional killing, and only with appropriate safeguards. Drug-related offenses generally are not considered to fall under the category of “most serious crimes”.

Recalling that the United Nations opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, the Secretary-General urges President Joko Widodo to urgently consider declaring a moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia, with a view towards abolition.

Daily Noon Briefing

18 April 2024

In Haiti, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people with critical assistance. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that more than 18,000 people were reached with cash transfers and, again yesterday, 210,000 children received a meal in their schools across the country.