CLANT provides further assistance to Titus Ani

At its December 2013 meeting, the CLANT Committee unanimously resolved to provide a further $15,000 to assist Titus Ani, a Nigerian national on death row in Bali.

In a previous note, we informed members of CLANT’s support for this case (an initial grant of $10,000 in about 2010, and a further grant of $20,000 in 2012).  Mr Ani’s legal team addressed the 2013 CLANT Bali conference, and presented this  case note and a paper on the general principles raised by the case, “International Law and the Death Row Phenomenon”.

On 18 December 2013, CLANT received the following update from Mr Ani’s pro bono legal team:

In October of this year we filed Titus’ final appeal.  This documentation included affidavits from 10 witnesses, 5 expert reports and detailed legal submissions.

The evidence is compelling and proves beyond any doubt that Titus Ani has been incorrectly sentenced as someone he is not.  He has been sentenced as a regular drug trafficker.  This is incorrect and we can prove this in Court. 

In a few weeks time, Titus will mark 10 years since he was imprisoned.  The majority of that time has been on death row.

We are presently awaiting hearing dates.  We had thought that the hearing would have taken place by now.  It is likely that dates will now be provided early in the new year.

While the delay has been frustrating on one level it has been quite helpful on another.  We are flying 4 Nigerian witnesses to the hearing and have experienced great difficulties in obtaining visas for each of them.  The extra time has allowed us to retain Nigerian counsel to assist in obtaining the visas.  We will find a way through this complex bureaucracy to ensure that the Court is presented with all witnesses of fact.

In the meantime, and on behalf of Titus’ entire legal team and Titus himself, thank you for your support, and we wish you a very happy Christmas.