Palu (AsiaNews) – The three Indonesian Catholics whose execution appeared certain some days ago, are still alive. Today, they made an urgent appeal for "the moral support of all Catholics in the country", said a relative of Dominggus da Silva, who was condemned to death together with Fabianus Tibo and Marinus Riwa for masterminding inter-faith clashes in Poso, central Sulawesi, in 2000.

Relatives of the death row prisoners, who hail from the Catholic-dominated island of Flores, yesterday visited the three men in prison in Palu. After a 10-hour meeting, Anselmus da Silva said: "Tibo and his friends are asking for the moral support of all Catholics in the country. It is the cry of powerless people who are still seeking justice from behind bars." The man continued: "The three men are emotionally stable and know they are fully in God's hands; they are ready to die as innocent 'martyrs'. It is not execution that worries them, but the fate of their families."

On 10 May, after the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, denied a second request for clemency, it appeared that only three days were left to go before the three men were executed. Tibo and his two companions are the only ones who have been condemned for what happened in the conflict, which anyhow has not yet been clearly revealed.

For months, the execution has appeared "imminent", but so far an official date has not been set. Meanwhile, human rights groups, together with the Indonesian Christian community, continue to protest the men's fate, claiming the trial of the three was unjust.

A week ago, the police chief of central Sulawesi province, Oegroseno, met high-ranking government and security officials and expressed serious doubts about the ability of Tibo, Silva and Riwa to "orchestrate" clashes like those that occurred in Palu. He then said the "three men should be kept alive, because they are key witnesses to reveal the mystery about who was behind the violence."

However, some days ago, the Minister for Political and Security Affairs, apparently asked the Sulawesi Attorney General's Office to set a precise date for the execution.