A prison guard in Indonesia

Amidst criticisms from international community, Indonesia has stood firm in defending its death penalty punishment against those involved in drug dealing business in the country.

Several drug convicts are to be executed this year. Indonesia executed 14 drug convicts consisted of both natives and foreigners last year that sparked diplomatic tensions with countries where the executed convicts came from. Those executed drug dealers among others originated from the Netherlands, Vietnam, Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Australia and France.

Indonesia received harsh diplomatic responses from several countries including Brazil, France, Australia related to Indonesia’s move to wage a war against the serious drug abuse problem. Some countries severed diplomatic ties with Indonesia by recalling their ambassadors from the country.

Conveying Indonesia’s determination in dealing with serious drug abuse in the country, senior diplomat Rachmat Budiman said that the misdeeds of those drug dealers have threatened the lives of Indonesian people, particularly the young generation who has been affected most by their criminal deeds.

“Indonesia applies firm punishment against drug smuggler and dealers. Implementation of the punishment is also addressing the human rights principles,”Rachmat who led Indonesian delegation in United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem recently held in UN headquarters New York, was quoted as saying in a statement released by Indonesian foreign affairs on Friday.

Rachmat, the Indonesian Ambassador to Slovenia, Austria and UN agencies in Vienna said that measures against illegal drug distribution activities has been made as a top priority of the government.

Indonesia’s Attorney General Prasetyo has confirmed that the execution against more drug convicts would be scheduled this year, adding that execution places other than prison of Nusakambangan in Central Java were being prepared..

“When the time comes, the execution would be conducted against those who have their legal verdict already set completely. We already conducted the executions against drug convicts twice,”Prasetyo said.

According to the data released by Indonesia’s anti-narcotics task force of BNN, drug abusers in Indonesia stood at 5.8 million as of last year from various ages that span from 10 to 59 years old. That figure increased from 4.1 million in 2014.

BNN also recorded that fatalities from drug abuse in the country stood at 12,044 people a year with total losses of 63 trillion rupiah (about 4.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014, 31 percent higher than that in 2011.