Indonesia executed four drug convicts, including three Nigerians, early on Friday, despite of massive protests.
An Indonesian man and three Nigerians were shot by the firing squad at the Nusakambangan prison island shortly after midnight. 10 more convicts were expected to be killed but they had a last-minute stay of execution.
The three convicts, who were executed, have been named as Indonesian Freddy Budiman and Nigerians Seck Osmane, Humphrey Jefferson Ejike and Michael Titus Igweh.
Attorney General H. Muhammad Prasetyo said the date for the next round of executions has not been set yet.
"Our battle against drug crimes is not over and it will continue. We will maintain our commitment, our firmness and our consistency," Prasetyo told Reuters.
He also added that "Indonesia has become a "business field" for the production, distribution, import and export of drugs".
Amnesty International condemned the latest executions and said it is a "deplorable act that violated the local and international law".
Reuters reported that the rights activists and governments have again called on Indonesia to abolish the death penalty but those calls have gone unheeded. However, the death penalty is widely accepted by the Indonesian public.
In response to the execution, the Deputy Attorney-General Noor Rachmad of Indonesia said it was "not a pleasant thing but it was to implement the law".
"The executions are only aimed at halting drug crimes and the rest will be carried out in stages," he added.
According to the Attorney General's Office, almost 152 people are on a death row in Indonesia. The list includes convicts from the Philippines, France and Britain.
In 2016, the authorities have plans to execute nearly 16 prisoners and in the next year the number will be more than double.
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws, and it has faced severe criticism internationally for resuming executions.
