Statement of the UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov on the use of the death penalty in Indonesia

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as part of the UN Secretariat, opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and encourages every country to join a moratorium on its use and to eventually abolish this practice.

Under international law, if the death penalty is to be used at all, it should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, namely those involving intentional killing, and only with appropriate safeguards. Drug-related offences generally are not considered to fall under the category of ‘most serious crimes.’