[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

March 25




INDONESIA:

Deathrow Gospel Singer: Last Minute Efforts To Save Okwudili Ayotanze From 
Execution In Indonesia



A tiny ray of hope has risen for Okwudili Ayotanze, a Nigerian gospel singer on 
Death row in Indonesia after being found guilty of smuggling Heroin.

A last minute diplomatic intervention is being pushed following meetings 
between the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, and the permanent 
secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Danjuma Sheni.

Ayotanze, 40, was arrested in 2001 while trying to smuggle 1.15 kilograms of 
heroin at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Jakarta.

He is on the execution list alongside 2 other Nigerians, Jamiu Owolabi Abashin 
who was caught smuggling Heroin using a false name Raheem Agbaje Salami, and 
Silvester Obiekwe.

Dili as he's fondly called by inmates released his 1st album in 2008 entitled 
'God You Know' and boasts of over 70 written songs to his credit. Some of his 
band mates include fellow inmates and a prison guard all of whom has worked 
with him on songs such as 'God Bless Indonesia' and 'Never be afraid'.

Responding to the permanent secretary, the ambassador affirmed that Indonesia 
still upheld death by execution as the penalty for drug related offenses, as 
the country had made it clear that engaging in drug trafficking into Indonesia 
is risking death.

"We still recognize the death penalty in our criminal justice system in some 
serious crimes including terrorism and narcotics and some other things," he 
stated.

He added, however, that the execution penalty does not apply to children and 
other vulnerable persons.

"We do apply these executions to those who are adults and we will not apply it 
on children or pregnant women or mentally ill persons and we have already made 
this known that doing this trafficking of narcotic in Indonesia is risking your 
death penalty before even coming into Indonesia" he said.

(source: Expressng.com)