Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte

Rodrigo Muxfeldt Gularte (born in 1972 in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil - died on 29 April 2015 in Central Java, Indonesia) was a Brazilian citizen condemned to capital penalty in Indonesia by drug trafficking.

Early Life

Rodrigo Gularte was born in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná (state), from a family of upper middle class, Gularte had the surf as our favorite sport. Relatives talk about him as a tall, gentle and polite boy, but involved with drugs since young.

Gularte's life changes would have begun at 13, but got worse when his parents divorced. His first treatment for drug addiction was at 16, when relatives say they have noticed signs of bipolarity. Others treatments would occur, without success and Gularte developed depression coupled with the use of drugs. His mother Clarisse tried to help him with work. Gularte won, for example, a restaurant to administer, paid by his mother. He also had a son with autism, now 21, with whom little is related. But the contact with drugs of all kinds, continued intense.

The mother and her cousin Angelita visited the Paraná frequently during the past ten years. With his father, the doctor Rubens Gularte, the ratio was only by letters or phone, according to the family.

Arresting

Gularte lived in Florianópolis since 1999 when he was arrested in August 2004 with 6 kg of cocaine hidden in surfboards. The arrest, along with two other men who lived in the capital, took place at Jakarta airport in Indonesia. The trio was caught with eight boards stuffed with six kilos of cocaine, but Rodrigo took over sole responsibility for the transportation of narcotics.

He was sentenced to death on 7 February 2005 by Indonesian government.

Life in prison

After his prison, Gularte tried suicide in prison in 2006. His mental health was worsening and a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia with delusions and hallucinations was detected. There was a recommendation that he should be transferred to a psychiatric hospital. However Indonesian authorities don't accepted his transference since the experts were hired by the defense.

Death

Gularte was executed in Indonesia on 29 April 2015 in Nusakambangan Island, Central Java, Indonesia. He had been sentenced to death for drug trafficking, and the sentence was executed by a firing squad. Roman Catholic priest Charlie Burrows was with Gularte minutes before the execution, at the request of the family and condemned himself. Before his death Gularte received spiritual comfort and last rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Gularte's body was taken to the Saint Carolus Hospital, in Jakarta. A Gularte's photo and a cross with his name and the date of his birth and his death were beside the coffin. His body will still be transported to Brazil, where he will be buried at the request of Gularte own.

A day after Gularte's death, a Catholic Mass was celebrated in honour of him.

Reaction of the Brazilian government and United Nations

According to the Brazilian government, Gularte's death is a "serious event" in relations between Brazil and Indonesia. The note says that Brazil will work in international human rights bodies for the abolition of the death penalty.

A government's statement against death penalty applied by Indonesia was read by the Secretary General of Foreign Affairs, Sérgio Danese, during an interview given at Itamaraty.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon expressed "deep regret" for the execution of eight convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, including Rodrigo Gularte. Ki-moon expressed deep regret at the executions carried out this April 29 in Indonesia, despite numerous requests in the country and internationally to interrupt it.