Jakarta (ANTARA News)- The Indonesian government has affirmed that having the death penalty on its statute is part of the sovereignty of a state, according to a press statement issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received by ANTARA here on Friday.
A joint statement regarding the death penalty was issued by the Ambassador of Indonesia to Austria, Slovenia, and the UN agencies in Vienna, Rachmat Budiman, after the ratification of the final document of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the Narcotics and Drug issues, in New York, USA.
The ambassador asserted that the death penalty and the mode of its execution is part of the implementation of criminal justice system decided by competent authorities of each country.
"There is no international law prohibiting the death penalty and its implementation. Every country has a sovereign right to determine its own political, legal, economic and social systems, corresponding to its interests and conditions," he said.
Besides Indonesia, several like minded states have the same stance on death penalty as part of the legal system of sovereign states, including China, Singapore, Yemen, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran and Sudan.
The joint statement is very important to show that there are differences among countries on death penalty issue.
Drug abuse is a serious problem in many countries. "In view of that, the death penalty is an important component in the criminal justice system that can be applied in case of a very serious drug related crime. The execution has to be in compliance with the principles of law and justice," Rachmat said.
The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem is one of the main UN forums on narcotics and drugs issues, which was attended by 193 of the UN member states. The last special session on narcotics and drugs was held in 1998.
According to the Indonesian Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, the Special Session is very important for Indonesia.
The forum can be used by the Indonesian government to deliver information about and explain to the international community the national policies and achievements in combating drug abuse.
"The Indonesian government is very serious in addressing drug abuse. We are protecting our people from narcotics," Ambassador Djani said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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