Indonesian diplomats have told a global human rights summit that a moratorium on the death penalty could be reintroduced - just as the country prepares to execute drug criminals, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
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The Indonesian comments in Geneva on Wednesday came after the UN's top human rights official called for a global ban on the death penalty, warning the practice of killing prisoners too often targeted "foot soldiers" and not kingpins of the illegal drugs trade.
With Indonesian diplomats sitting among representatives of more than 24 countries gathered for a "high-level panel" at the Human Rights Council, UN assistant secretary-general Ivan Simonovic said capital punishment was "inhuman and outdated" and there was no evidence that executions stop crimes.
He also warned of mistakes and abuses where the death penalty had been imposed, the UN news service reports.
Mr Simonovic did not mention the case of the Bali nine pair - awaiting execution on an Indonesian prison island - or single out any individual country in his remarks on Wednesday.
But he put a special emphasis on the futility of executing prisoners convicted of drug crimes.
"Several countries continue to use the death penalty for drug-related crimes, with the argument that this harsh punishment is needed for deterrence purposes," he said.
"However, there is no evidence that the death penalty deters any crime," he said - adding the focus of crime prevention should be on strengthening the justice systems and making it more effective.
Mr Simonovic's comments stand in stark contrast to those of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has insisted the death penalty is needed to tackle a "drugs emergency" in Indonesia.
A UN-released summary record of the debate on Wednesday afternoon (overnight Australian time) shows Indonesia responded during the panel by stating the death penalty was a "constant subject of discussions in the country".
Indonesia called for countries that practice capital punishment to observe the full process of the law, and according to the summary, went on to state: "Indonesia had applied a moratorium on the death penalty, and could reintroduce it in the case of most serious crimes."
No further detail is provided in the record of the debate, which the UN says is for "use of information media; not an official record."
Indonesia ended a four-year freeze on executions in 2013, putting four prisoners to death that year, yet did not carry out further executions until January this year in the months after Mr Joko won office.
Australian diplomats were also at the Geneva meeting and also warned of extensive international research that disproved the death penalty had a deterrent effect on crime.
France, which also has a citizen among the nine convicts Indonesia is threatening to execute in the coming days, also called for the abolition of the death penalty "as a priority".
Singapore - the last country to execute an Australian, Van Tuong Nguyen in 2005 - defended capital punishment at the meeting on behalf of 24 countries.
Singapore said the death penalty was an important deterrent for crimes such as terrorism or drug offences, and there was no prohibition of the death penalty in international law, according to the UN record of the meeting.
Mr Simonovic said about 160 countries have either abolished the death penalty or no longer apply the punishment, but in 2013 there were more victims of execution than in 2012.
