Indonesia

COUNTRY

Country's Death Penalty Landscape: Indonesia will implement a new Penal Code in January 2026. The new law still maintains the death penalty but it is reclassified as a special, alternative punishment rather than a primary one. Furthermore, it will be mandatory for judges issuing the death penalty to provide all individuals sentenced to death with a 10-year probationary period, during which the death penalty can be commuted to life imprisonment if the individual exhibits "commendable behaviour". There are concerns that this new provision will lead to an increase in death sentences as it may no longer be considered a harsh punishment. Therefore, it is vital to ensure procedural safeguards and effective defence in all capital cases.

Country's Key Death Penalty Trends: The Indonesian cases which have been included in this database reflect serious problems in the application of the death penalty in the country. The database also includes widely-known cases which have gained significant public attention. This includes cases which involve the use of torture and the violation of the right to appeal. Other cases show the prevalence of problems with evidence in capital cases including the lack of submitting medical examination papers. There are also violations of the rights of vulnerable groups such as the sentencing of a woman who was a juvenile at the time of a murder offence and the lack of access to competent and qualified interpreters for foreign nationals.

Country Geolocation

Latitude: -6.293782809685137

Longitude: 106.84001863002779

Contributing Organisations

Kind of Cases Contributed: All of the Indonesian case briefs are in the public domain and have been widely publicised. They are landmark or significant death penalty cases.

Credibility of Contributing Organisation: The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, abbreviated as ICJR, is an independent research institution that focuses on criminal law reform, criminal justice system reform, and general legal reform in Indonesia. One of the crucial issues facing Indonesia, in the current transition period, is how to ensure reform of its legal and criminal justice system will be in a democratic direction.

Insights provided by ICJR are backed by years of rigorous research and access to official documents thereby ensuring case briefs are accurate. You can refer to the methodology on our website. If you have any questions or comments, or issues with language, please do contact us.

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