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Pinoy Abroad

How an Indonesian firing squad carries out the death penalty


At the final moments of his or her life, a convict up for execution in Indonesia will be facing a firing squad of 12 shooters and a mix of at least one live bullet and several blanks.

After an Indonesian court rejected two appeals from the Philippine government for a judicial review of her case, 30-year-old Filipino convict Mary Jane Veloso is facing this fate on Tuesday afternoon.

GMA News reported on "24 Oras" that the death convict will be on the stage facing members of the jail police armed with "high-caliber" rifles.

Three of these rifles will have live rounds while the other seven would be loaded with blanks, the report said.

A statement from Amnesty International and a report from the Daily Mail UK also indicated a firing squad of 12, but with only three live bullets.

Citing execution procedures under Law No. 2/1964, the Jakarta Post reported that only one rifle man would be carrying a live bullet.

No one among the members of the firing squad knows who among them will be firing a live round instead of blanks.

The Jakarta Post added that the police officers who will conduct the executions are "in their early 20s... as they are considered to be physically and mentally fitter than their seniors."

They are "given extra training to sharpen their shooting skills," it added.

According to Amnesty International, prisoners "are given a choice of whether to stand or sit and whether to have their eyes covered, by a blindfold or hood."

The Daily Mail online, which posted a demonstration of the shooting, said that among the 27 rules for execution by firing squad in Indonesia is giving the convict "a last chance to calm down a maximum of three minutes, accompanied by a clergy member."

He or she will don "clean, simple, and white clothing," where the doctor will place a black mark "right over the heart as the place to shoot at."

Once the firing squad is commanded to go to the front position, the execution commander will take his place on the right side facing them. He will draw a sword for the firing squad to aim towards the convict, then "brandishes [it] forward" as a cue to unlock weapons.

When the execution commander brings the sword down, the firing squad will shoot simultaneously.

After this, the executing commander "sheaths his sword" for the firing squad to stand their weapons.

The doctor checks on the convict and if found that he or she is still alive, it will be ordered "that a pistol be put to his temple just above the ear for a final shot."

The execution of the death penalty is made final "if the doctor has stated that there are no more signs of life."

The firing squad is then told "to remove the magazine and empty their weapons." -Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/NB/ELR/KG, GMA News

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