Report of National Conference and Media Workshop organised by KontraS
24 November 2021
Jakarta, November 3rd and 4th, 2021
On November 3, 2021, KontraS in partnership with ECPM held in Jakarta a National Conference “Analyzing the Death Penalty Threat to Vulnerable Groups” to which were invited members of the Indonesian House of Representatives, representatives from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Ombudsman, NGOs, Victims' Families, the media, and other stakeholders to discuss the application of the death penalty at the policy and technical level.
Despite the notable absence of significant improvements at the policy level to reject the death penalty, Muhammad Nassir Djamil, Member of the Indonesian People's Representative Council, said that it was possible to change the policy with the full support of the community. This support would come through educating the public to the abolition of the death penalty so that it becomes a common norm that will shape policies in favor or abolition. It is to be noted that the mere fact that an MP attended the national conference and gave such a statement is a step that both KontraS and ECPM are happy to celebrate.
The need to educate the public regarding the death penalty cannot be separated from the role of the media as a medium in conveying the facts that occur in the death penalty process. That is why, KontraS and ECPM have developed training activities that focus on educating media houses and their journalists to write on the death penalty and also on how to cooperate with them when conducting any campaigns on the topic. The activity lasted for one day on November 4 with participants from the highest death row areas in Indonesia, namely North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, South Sumatra, and DKI Jakarta.
Speakers such as Tempo's senior journalist, Mustafa Silalahi and human rights researcher, Papang Hidayat, as well as Fatia Maulidiyanti, KontraS executive coordinator gave an overview of the pattern of cooperation between the media, NGOs, and the public in campaigning against the death penalty. One of the main outcome of this workshop civil society members and media representatives present at the event are ready to cooperate regarding all death penalty-related issues.
