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Indonesia’s Jokowi Vows Strict Policy, Death Penalty for Drug Crimes

Martin Anderson, a Ghanaian national who is on death row after being convicted of drug offenses, is escorted by armed police officers at South Jakarta district court, Jakarta, Indonesia, March 19, 2015 (AP photo by Tatan Syuflana).
Martin Anderson, a Ghanaian national who is on death row after being convicted of drug offenses, is escorted by armed police officers at South Jakarta district court, Jakarta, Indonesia, March 19, 2015 (AP photo by Tatan Syuflana).
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Indonesia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the final appeals of two prisoners from France and Ghana currently on death row for drug smuggling. In an email interview, Gloria Lai, a senior policy officer at the International Drug Policy Consortium, discussed Indonesia’s zero-tolerance approach to drugs. WPR: What factors are pushing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to continue Indonesia’s strict anti-drug policies? Gloria Lai: When Indonesia passed new drug laws in 2009, introducing measures to divert people who use drugs away from prison and toward drug treatment programs, the government showed signs of shifting toward a health-based approach to drug use. However, […]

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