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Indonesia executed four convicted drug offenders by firing squad

10 other people who were going to be shot on Friday got a reprieve, and 16 more are scheduled to be killed this year by the government of President Joko Widodo.
Imagen por Darren Whiteside/Reuters

As rain poured on Indonesia's Nusakambangan Island overnight on Friday, a firing squad shot four convicted drug traffickers, in another round of executions as the southeast Asian country continues its controversial anti-drug crusade.

Three of the prisoners put to death at the Central Java facility hailed from Nigeria, with the remaining convict from Indonesia.

"Our battle against drug crimes is not over and it will continue. We will maintain our commitment, our firmness and our consistency," Attorney General H. Muhammad Prasetyo told Reuters.

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A total of 14 drug offenders were expected to be put to death on the day, but 10 convicts got a reprieve for the purpose of a thorough review of their cases. Both an Indonesian woman and a man from Pakistan have reportedly asked for clemency, Reuters reported.

As news emerged this month that Indonesia was planning to go through with the executions, human rights groups put pressure on the government to stand down. Indonesia rebuffed the international push, and has shut down similar requests to eliminate the death penalty in drug-related cases.

In a rare show of public opinion against the death penalty in Indonesia, demonstrators assembled outside the jail before being ushered away by authorities. Nigerians also demonstrated at the Indonesian embassy in Abuja on Thursday.

The fight against narcotics trafficking in Indonesia has become one of President Joko Widodo's biggest crusades, with officials claiming the country has become a hub for the drug trade. Authorities have labeled it a "drug emergency situation."

More than 150 people are currently in line for the death penalty in Indonesia, many of whom are foreign. Last year authorities killed 14 convicted drug offenders and another 16 prisoners are on the execution docket for 2016.