UK OPPOSES DEATH PENALTY GIVEN TO BRITISH NATIONAL IN INDONESIA

By Azi Fitriyanti Jakarta, Feb 4 (Antara) -- Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom Philip Hammond stated that his government was opposed to giving death penalty in all cases, including to a British national convicted for drug trafficking in Indonesia. "We oppose death penalty in all cases. The Indonesian foreign affairs minister understands our position in this regard. I do not think I can say more than that," Minister Hammond said during a doorstop interview at the Pancasila building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here on Wednesday. Regarding legal consultation for Lindsay Sandiford, the British national convicted and sentenced to death for trafficking drugs in Indonesia, Hammond pointed out that the government of the UK had provided her with necessary legal aid. "We, of course, provide consultation for British citizens at risk anywhere in the world, including in Indonesia," he affirmed. However, Hammond admitted that there are specific limits on ways to operate and kinds of legal support that the UK can offer to its nationals. He also denied that the UK government had refused to provide Sandiford legal consultation in Indonesia. "When British citizens are in prison, or are being tried by the judicial system of a nation, we certainly do offer consultant support," he reiterated. With regard to the diplomatic reaction of the UK government towards the death penalty given to their citizen in Indonesia, Hammond believes that it was too early to talk about whether they would recall their ambassador to Indonesia the way the Netherlands and Brazil did. "We still have processes to complete. I think it is too premature to talk about the sentence being carried out," he remarked. Furthermore, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi emphasized that the Indonesian government had a consistent stand towards the crime of drug trafficking due to its negative impacts on Indonesian people, particularly the youth. "Yes, the foreign minister of the UK has expressed his concern about the British national convicted with death penalty. I explained the drug abuse situation in Indonesia, the urgency of law enforcement, and the legal rights of all people, including the convicts," she said. Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death by the Denpasar State Court, Bali, in January 2013, after being found guilty of smuggling 4.7 kilograms of cocaine worth Rp24 billion from Thailand to Bali in May 2012.