SAN FRANCISCO, July 28, (THEWILL) – Indonesia on Thursday rejected appeals from the United Nations and European Union to halt the execution of 14 drug convicts including six Nigerians.

The convicts are awaiting execution by firing squad and have been placed in isolation on a prison island where Jakarta carries out executions.

The community legal aid institute, which is advocating for the 14 convicts, gave the breakdown of those on death row as six Nigerians, four Indonesians, two Zimbabweans, one Indian and one Pakistani.

Families were granted last visits on Thursday saying they have been told the convicts will be executed Thursday night.

Antonius Karwayu, the lawyer who represented two of the convicts, said they could be killed at the Nusa Kambangan prison complex off the coast of Java.

“The families have been notified that there would be executions and the convicts had been asked for their last wishes,” Karwayu said.

“Their families were given until 3 pm today to visit them so it is likely that the executions would be carried out tonight.”

The Attorney-General’s office has not announced a date for the executions but spokesman Muhammad Rum confirmed that 14 convicts would be executed soon.

“I have only been informed of those three names,” he said.

Indonesia last carried out executions in April 2015 when it put to death eight drug convicts, including two Australians, sparking international outrage.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Wednesday called on Indonesia to end the “unjust” use of the death penalty, while the European Union urged Jakarta to stop the “cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent”.

But President Joko Widodo has defended the use of the death penalty to combat rising narcotics use.

According to the Indonesian justice ministry, about 121 people are currently on death row in Indonesia, including 35 foreigners, mainly for drug-related crimes.y

Story by David Oputah