"Sexual Deviation"...

I figure that if it is good enough for The Jakarta Globe then it is good enough for me.

It seems that The Jakarta Globe has opted for the sensational headline as a means of getting people to read. I figure, I will just use it to see if I can get a bounce in my visitor numbers. That said, The Jakarta Globe has translated "penyimpangan seks" as sexual disorder, whereas I reckon that it is sexual deviation. penyimpangan normally is used to refer to things that are a little out of what is considered to be "normal" or "regular" practice. In this case, it would refer to things like group sex, anal sex, masturbation, and oral sex (see, I am using these words only so people searching for them will get hits from their respective search engines that bring them here).

Onto the substance, not of sexual deviation but the arrest of Ibra Azhari. Ibra is the brother of Ayu, Sarah, and Rahma Azhari all sexpots in their own right. I would reckon if I searched my blog that I would probably have written something on all of them.

Ibra was arrested along with his wife. He was in the process of picking up some pre-ordered methamphetamine from a former cell mate. Yes, Ibra has done a stretch in the slammer previously for drug related crimes. The most recent transaction was taking place in Denpasar, Bali. After his arrest Ibra was transferred back to Jakarta, West Jakarta to be precise.

In a previous brush with law enforcement, Ibra was prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2003 for cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine possession. Then in 2005 a planned raid on his cell in Cipinang Prison in East Jakarta netted more methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. His punishment for this little indiscretion was to be sent to Nusakambangan in Central Java (the last home of the Bali Bombers - Amrozi, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas - before they were executed by firing squad). Ibra was released in 2009.

It is pretty clear that 2009 minus 2003 is six years. This is a long way short of the fifteen that he was sentenced to. It is also pretty clear that any rehabilitation that he was supposed to receive while in prison did not happen or was a complete failure considering that he is already back in the drugs game.

As an aside...if Ibra did 6 years of a 15-year sentence for drugs then this means that in fairness both Schapelle Corby and Renae Lawrence should do no more than 8 years of their 20-year sentences before they are released and deported back to Australia.

Oh yeah, the title of the post. In his pre-drug crime days, Ibra was a bit of an actor and starred in an Indonesian film titled "Penyimpangan Seks".

Bali Bombers -- It's Done!

I am not going to write a long essay here on my opinions on the death penalty or the pros and cons of such.

I am not going to make any statements about martyrdom.

The three have been executed (picture from here).

I hope this brings closure and finality for the victims and their families.

Bali Bombers -- Execution Postponed?

The word on the street is that the execution of the Bali Bombers is going to be later rather than sooner. Later being sometime before the new year. So, when I last reported that I thought that the three murderous stooges (AKA Amrozi, Samudra, and Mukhlas) were having themselves on when they said that they would still be breathing air through December, this was somewhat off the mark. It seems that the person having themselves on about an imminent execution, was me.

The reason is "technicality" or more specifically delays in the paperwork and the prospect of more appeals and the finalization of the previous last ditch effort to claim that the firing squad was an inhumane form of execution.

These constant delays and constant reminders and the continued lack of remorse must be very frustrating for the families of those who lost loved ones and who are looking forward to the day that these murderers suffer the fate that they have been sentenced to. I can only try to imagine what this frustration and constant reminder must be like.

I guess there is always hope for the families that the government will keep its word and execute them in the near future.

On a slightly different note, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, was refused entry to the Batu Prison on Nusakambangan. Unfortunately for Ba'asyir he did not have the necessary paperwork to visit prisoners on death row and the guards told him to go away and come back when he was properly documented. The proper paperwork is the necessary stamps from the relevant offices of the Department of Law and Human Rights.

This did not make much of an impression on Ba'asyir or the members of the Ba'asyir entourage. However, there appears to be no such restrictions with regards to visiting regular inmates. So, he made the trip to Nusakambangan and visited those convicted of terrorism offences but not on death row.

Executions in the Air

The chance of an imminent execution for Amrozi, Samudera, and Mukhlas or as they are better known the Bali Bombers sentenced to death for their role in the first Bali Bombings, has seen an influx of journalists to Nusakambangan. The list of journalists includes both local and foreign journalists. This sudden influx has meant that accommodation is scarce on the island.

To date some 120 or so journalists have made the trip to get some coverage of what is expected to be these three mass murderer's final Lebaran. It is expected that the necessary paperwork will be finalized over the coming days and the firing squad will be assembled.

State Sanctioned Killing

Indonesia will execute two Nigerians later tonight. Although this is more likely to be in the wee hours of Friday morning as executions normally take place around 2am for some reason. This must be a reminder to all those contemplating smuggling drugs; it simply is not worth your life!

Maybe the Attorney General, Hendarman Supandji, has decided to execute a few people in the hope of taking the heat off of himself and an ongoing corruption scandal which is more than likely see him removed as the revelations of involvement keep moving on up the food chain at the Office of the Attorney General.

However, the reasons aside for the first executions of drug traffickers since 2004, it must not be forgotten that these two individuals smuggled drugs, were caught, tried and convicted in a court of law, and will soon pay the ultimate price for their stupidity.

The National Police Chief, General Sutanto, has also gone on the record to say that the executions should act as a deterrent. Nevertheless, they won't there is no sustainable evidence to suggest that the risk of death is a deterrent to the smuggling of drugs. Some people are just so desperate that no matter what the risk is they will still try and smuggle drugs.

Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa was caught trafficking 600g heroin in 43 capsules from Pakistan in January 2001. Samuel Iwachekawu Okoye was caught with 3.8kg of heroin in his luggage after arriving from India in January 2001.

Both men were sentenced to death in mid-2001 and their final appeals for clemency were rejected in July 2004. They are currently in special holding cells at the Nusakambangan Prison in Central Java.

According to Amnesty International, "Experts in international law, including the top UN officials, have confirmed that applying the death penalty for drug-related offences is a breach of international law".

The latest figures state that there are almost 60 people on death row in Indonesia for drug related offences and of these almost half are foreigners.