Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Indonesia, although last executions were carried out in July 2016. The death penalty is normally enforced only in grave cases of premeditated murder, corruption in extreme cases can lead to the death penalty and the death penalty is also regularly applied to certain drug traffickers. Executions are carried out by firing squad.
History Though the death penalty existed as a punishment from the inception of the Republic of Indonesia, the first judicial execution did not take place until 1973.
The first civilian execution in Indonesia was performed in 1978. Oesin Bestari, a goat butcher from Mojokerto, was the first criminal condemned to death in post-independence Indonesia. He was convicted in 1964 after murdering six persons, all of whom were his business partners. He was executed on 14 September 1978 on a section of Kenjeran Beach, Surabaya.
The second person executed was Henky Tupanwael, a street martial artist-turned-armed robber. He was convicted in 1969 after a series of armed robberies in 1944, 1957, 1960, and 1963. He was also a notable prison escapist, with three records of prison escapes. He was executed on 5 January 1980 at government gunnery range in Pamekasan, Madura Island. His execution was notable as it featured popular Indonesian superstition at that time relating to black magic practitioners possessing weapon immunity and the delicate process required to execute him. At the time of his execution, government officials treated his place of death with an unusual process. His execution pillar was bedded with kelor leaves and arranged in a way that his body dropped directly to the bed. Instead of the traditional black cloth used to cover his eyes, a red cloth was used. He was also pinioned using coarse palm fibre ropes, but not tied to the pillar to ensure that his body dropped to the kelor leaves the bed. All was done by government officials to neutralize his immunity and ensure his death.
The third person executed was Waluyo, also known as Kusni Kasdut, a former hero-turned-armed robber. Kusni Kasdut's case attracted significant media attention at that time because he was a hero of the Indonesian National Revolution, as well as for his Robin Hood-style robberies, as he committed robberies in order to distribute his gains to the poor. He was executed on 16 February 1980 near Gresik City, East Java.
The Indonesian government does not issue detailed statistics about every person facing the death penalty in the country. In fact, "the search for precise figures is hampered by prevailing state secrecy over the death penalty." There were no executions since 2017, possibly as a result of intense and widespread international criticism the Indonesian government had to face for carrying out the last executions. President Joko Widodo has since stated that he is now open to reintroducing an official moratorium on the death penalty. Indonesia is well-noted as "a strong advocate against the death penalty for its citizens abroad."
Indonesia lastly executed the condemned criminals on 29 July 2016, and since then there was no execution. However, Indonesian courts system still awarding death penalty to criminals of various offenses, resulting in backlog of Indonesian death row inmates awaiting to be executed but cannot be executed. As of 9 October 2025, there are 596 death row inmates in Indonesia, increased from 562 in 2024, as recorded in death row statistics by Directorate General of Correction, Ministry of Immigration and Correction, as obtained by Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, an Indonesian NGO. A 2025 bill prepared by President Prabowo Subianto's Ministry of Law Directorate General of Legislation, Bill on Implementation of the Death Penalty, proposed swift execution within 30 days after the court process finalized and final decision issued by the Attorney General to be carried out by Police.
Historical use of hanging Despite Indonesia using Law No. 2/PNPS/1964 that mandated execution by firing squad, until 2023, Article No. 11 of Indonesian Criminal Code still mandated that executions must be performed by hanging and the part remains written in the code. This part was a piece of law from the colonial era, as Indonesian Criminal Code inherited from Dutch East Indies Criminal Code, but the article is superseded by Law No. 2/PNPS/1964 in practice.
Dutch colonial period Prior introduction of hanging as formal execution method, execution methods are varied by local kingdoms and also Dutch East India Company (VOC)-controlled areas. In most of Islamic kingdoms, or formerly Islamic kingdoms, and VOC-controlled areas, decapitation by sword or glaive was the favored method of execution. In some areas, much uncommon methods also found. In Aceh, execution by spear and sroh (execution by cudgel, somewhat similar to one performed in Thailand for executing member of royalty) were reserved for enemies of the ruling Sultan. Execution by strangulation and drowning was reserved for incest committers and practiced by ancient Torajans, Minangkabauese, and Timorese. In 1642, during Antonio van Diemen rule as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, he codified the criminal code from previously scattered instructions and orders that written by his predecessors and booked all in Statuta Betawi (Batavian Statutes) which only affects Europeans and their descent. With this code, hanging was introduced and used to execute thieves, robbers, and adulterers. Along with hanging, many European-style execution methods also introduced like garrote-like strangulation, breaking wheels, ducking stool, and horse drawing. For locals, execution performed according to local customs observed by locals.
Much of barbaric and ancient method of execution was removed when Daendels was in rule as Governor-General in 1808. Daendels' administration later issued Edict of 22 April 1808 and established general procedure for execution. Outside military-at-war executions and executions of rebelled soldiers that subject to the respective military commanding officers at-field, all civilian executions are subject to Governor-General discretion and approval papers. During the time of Daendels' administration, hanging is not included in approved methods for execution. However, Daendels introduced various novel cruel execution methods such as burning at the stake, execution by kris stabbing, execution by scorching iron branding, execution by bludgeoning, and penal works to death.
Daendels' edict was in effect until 1848. When Jan Jacob Rochussen become Governor-General for 1845-1851 period, after reviewing Daendel's edict, Rochussen issued Interim Penalty Provisions Intermaire Strafbepelingen of 1848, which returning hanging as execution method and set it as sole approved execution method. During James Loudon time as Governor-General for 1872-1875, he codified Wetboek van Strafrecht voor Inlanders, Inlander Criminal Code of 1873, which become in effect on 1 January 1873. The criminal code retains hanging as execution method, despite the Dutch already abolished capital punishment in Netherlands since 1870. By code, hanging is applied to murderers, thieves, aggravated robbers and extortionists, pirates, and criminals committing crimes against state security. However, hanging also applied to other crimes as well. Based on surviving Dutch East Indies papers archived at National Archives of Indonesia, due to high crime rates in Batavia at this period, hanging also applied to rapists, kidnappers, assaulters, blue-on-blue military fratriciders, and street brawlers.
Under Inlander Criminal Code of 1873, executions were performed by public hanging at town parks and may be considered barbaric, as the hanging was performed by short drop style, in which three executioners played their role in the death of the condemned prisoner. One would open a trap door, one would pull the legs of the prisoner, and another would push the prisoner's shoulder below, so the condemned prisoner's death was hastened. The hanging also often not employed hood, as recorded by Dutch chronicler Justus van Maurik which recorded the execution scenes in his 1897 book "Indrukken van een “Totok,” Indische type en schetsen". One condemned prisoner, even experienced "horrific facial changes, bulged eyes, extremely protruding tongue, and blood discharge from body orifices" during this kind of hanging as recorded by him. The last person executed by this way was Tjoe Boen Tjiang, a Chinese young man that murdered two girls out of rage because the girls' father and also their husbands forbidding him to smoke the cigar. He was executed in 1896, and his execution that was reported by van Maurik in his 1897 book.
Inlander Criminal Code of 1873 eventually revised in 1915 as Dutch East Indies Criminal Code (Staatsblad 1915 No. 732). Since the 1915 revision the method of hanging changed from long drop. The effect, however, only applied to the criminals sentenced after 1918. Despite that, there is no execution by hanging performed by Dutch East Indies government after Tjoe Boen Tjiang hanging in 1896 until Indonesian Independence. After the independence of Indonesia, the Dutch East Indies Criminal Code turned into Indonesian Criminal Code by passage of Law No. 1/1946 (Regulations of Criminal Laws), with many changes of irrelevant aspects of the former Dutch East Indies to Indonesia. However, the hanging part still retained and enshrined at the Article No. 11 of both the former Dutch East Indies Criminal Code and the later Indonesia Criminal Code.
Temporary removal during Japanese occupation The hanging was temporarily replaced after Indonesia fell into Japanese Occupation Forces during World War II. The Japanese Occupation Forces government issued Osamu Gunrei No. 1/1942 (Punishments in Accordance with the Law of the Armies) on 2 March 1942, which mandated that executions throughout Indonesia be performed by means of shooting.
Indonesian independence period During the turbulence of the Indonesian National Revolution which resulted into divided territorial control of Indonesia between Netherlands-controlled and Indonesian controlled areas, the execution process divided also. In areas controlled with Netherlands occupation forces, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration issued Staatsblad 1945 No. 123 (On Capital Punishment), which mandated execution with fire squad to condemned criminals, while in Indonesia-controlled areas used hanging to execute the condemned criminals. After the recognition of Indonesian independence, the criminal code still split into two between the Indonesian-controlled areas and areas formerly controlled NICA until 1958. Due to this, on 20 September 1958, the Indonesia Government issued Law No. 73/1958, to impose Law No. 1/1946 to all Indonesia, and since then Indonesia using hanging. The use of hanging retained from 1958 to 1964. On 27 April 1964, Law No. 2/PNPS/1964 issued to replace hanging with execution by firing squad.