"Only some (countries), including Indonesia, (still) adopt the death penalty," Chairman of Komnas HAM Ahmad Taufan Damanik said here on Tuesday, as seen on the commission's official YouTube channel.
His statement was made in response to the awarding of the death sentence to Herry Wirawan--who raped 13 of his students--by the Bandung High Court.
He said that if Wirawan or his legal counsel made further legal efforts, then the judge at the cassation level would have to reconsider the death penalty, which is starting to be abolished.
Komnas HAM considers the victims as the most important people to pay attention to, he added. Thus, it encourages restitution and rehabilitation.
Should one look at the draft revision of the criminal code (RKUHP), the death penalty is still listed, but it is not an immediate sentence.
Related news: Bandung High Court sentences Herry Wirawan to death
This means that death convicts are to still be given the opportunity to be assessed or evaluated for a certain period of time. Should they behave well, the death penalty may be reduced to a lighter sentence.
He pointed out that the rape case involving Wirawan was not the first time such an incident had come to light in Indonesia or within the scope of Islamic or other religious educational institutions.
The government, through the relevant ministries, has also issued a ministerial regulation to prevent violence through the practice of sexual bullying in educational institutions.
However, the system, which regulates human rights and protection for victims as well as rehabilitation, must also be fixed, he said.
"Particularly for religious educational institutions, which often use religious jargon, but (employ it as a decoy to commit) hidden crimes," he added.
Related news: Death penalty for rapist Wirawan fulfils sense of justice: academic
Translator: M Zulfikar, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
