Why Indonesia’s death penalty lives on, even as executions dwindle

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Indonesia has not carried out an execution in more than a decade, and its new Criminal Code characterizes capital punishment as a last resort. Nonetheless, the number of people on death row rose to 639 by April, prompting renewed questions about courts’ use of the penalty.

Indonesia has not executed anyone in over a decade, with its new Criminal Code designed to make capital punishment a “last resort”. Yet the number of prisoners on death row continues to climb. A new report on the persistent use of capital punishment in Indonesia’s courts has raised questions about the rulings despite an unofficial moratorium on executions. There were 639 people on death row in Indonesia as of April, an increase from 596 as of August 2025, according to a report by the Indonesian...