'Trials should be non-political'
Jakarta Post, September 27, 2006

Capital punishment under Indonesia's legal system has been questioned by human rights watchdogs who assert it violates the Constitution and international conventions on human rights. The Jakarta Post asked residents what they thought of the recent execution of three convicts for leading a deadly attack in Poso, Central Sulawesi, back in 2000.
Febrianty Madyansari, 22, works as an architect for a consulting company in Bintaro, South Jakarta. She lives with her parents in Ciledug, Tangerang:
I'm not against capital punishment as long as the trial is free from political interests.
I think the case of the three convicts was political because the authorities did not investigate people the convicts said were the masterminds of the deadly attack.
I believe the three men were only scapegoats.
The government should be really careful in handing down such a sentence. The judges have to be really sure that the convicts deserve the death penalty because, otherwise, it would only spark public protests.
I believe that the trial must be free, not only of political interests, but also economic and religious issues.
Abimanyu Santoso, 27, is a client service officer in a private company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, South Jakarta. He lives with his family in Jatinegara, East Jakarta:
I support capital punishment for criminals involved in bomb attacks or genocide.
We must make sure that the execution itself does not cause them undue suffering. We should remember that death itself horrifies most people.
I think the government must guarantee that the death penalty is free of political interests, so it does not result in public protests, as happened in the recent case.
-- The Jakarta Post