Christians Worldwide Call for Review of Execution Sentence to Three Indonesians

|TOP|As Indonesia delayed the execution until after 17 August of three Christians convicted of killing Muslims, the Evangelical Alliance UK have joined forces with Christian campaign group Open Doors to call for a complete review of the case.

Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu were due to be executed over the weekend before mass appeals by the worldwide Christian community led to the postponement of their execution until later this week.

Open Doors and the Evangelical Alliance believe that the case against the three men is seriously flawed, and are calling for a complete review of the evidence against them, as well as the judicial process which led to the death sentences.

Eddie Lyle, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, commented: “The fact that there has been a stay of execution granted in the case of these three Christian men should be applauded. Our plea is that this time is used wisely by the justice system to review the burden of proof against the accused.

|QUOTE|“We believe that there is insubstantial evidence upon which to base such a draconian and irreversible verdict. The Indonesian authorities need to be reminded that the Body of Christ around the world has reason to doubt the impartiality of this judgment.”

In addition, Elfed Godding, the General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance Wales, said: “We call upon the Indonesian Government for a stay of execution and a complete review of the case against Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwu.

“To proceed with Thursday’s planned execution would be a travesty of justice and human rights, and would risk fracturing the fragile equilibrium that exists between different ethnic and religious groups in Indonesia.”

Last week Pope Benedict also called on Indonesia to stop the imminent execution, as thousands of Indonesians held a prayer vigil opposing the death penalty.

|AD|Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano said on behalf of the Pope that clemency should be granted ‘on humanitarian grounds’ for the three men who were found guilty of leading a Christian mob in an attack which killed more than 200 people during Muslim-Christian clashes in the province’s Poso region.

“In the name of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, I turn to you again ... in order that an act of clemency might be granted to these three Catholic citizens of your nation,” a letter addressed to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus Silva were to face a firing squad just after midnight (1700 GMT) on Friday at a secret location in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, a spokesman for the Indonesian attorney general had said.

But Sutanto said he had received a report from provincial police that the executions “will be after the 17th, not tonight”.

The country’s national day holiday is on 17 August and police and officials wanted to concentrate on preparing for that, Sutanto said.

The announcement of the delay came after a day of demonstrations against the planned executions by thousands of Indonesians.

But Sutanto added: “This is only a problem of time. The provincial government will decide the execution timeframe. The fastest would be three days (after the 17th).”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide Advocacy Director, Tina Lambert, has said, “We urge the international community to act immediately to stop the execution of these three men. There is substantial evidence to support calls for a re-trial and at a time where relations between different faith communities are tense, we fear these executions will be exploited by those wanting to antagonise the situation.”