Death row Australians under spotlight

The new SBS television miniseries, Better Man, tells the story of the last Australian executed overseas, Van Nguyen.

Death row Australians under spotlightDeath row Australians under spotlight

Death row Australians under spotlight

Family and supporters of Bali 9 members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, now on death row in Indonesia, have unveiled a last-minute campaign for mercy from the country's president.

 

Unless President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono shows clemency, the two convicted Australian drug runners could be executed at any time.

 

The Mercy Campaign comes as SBS launches a miniseries telling the story of the life of Van Nguyen, the last Australian executed overseas.

 

Katrina Yu reports.

 

"Just imagine ... for one second ... imagine what it would be like to be on death row."

 

An Internet video campaign pleading for mercy to save the lives of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

 

"What could you do if your brother was on death row?"

 

The two men, along with seven others, were arrested in Bali in 2005, caught trying to traffic heroin to Australia.

 

One year later, both -- deemed the ringleaders -- were sentenced to death by firing squad.

 

But the founder of what has been called the Mercy Campaign, Brigid Delaney, says they deserve a second chance.

 

"We're asking the Indonesian government to have mercy on Myuran and Andrew, because we believe that they can reform and they can change. And they have ... they have changed. I mean, there's a reason why the death penalty was abolished in Australia, and that is because we've recognised that there are other forms of punishment that are much more suitable and that don't have such a heavy cost on the community."

 

The campaign's new ad is timed to coincide with the launch of a high-profile SBS television miniseries, Better Man.

 

It tells the story of the last Australian executed overseas, Van Nguyen.

 

It is a story told without input from his family.

 

"The sentence of this court is that you be taken from this place to a lawful prison, then to a place of execution."

 

The Vietnamese-Australian man was sentenced to death in Singapore for trafficking drugs in 2002.

 

Actor Remy Hii plays the lead role of Van Nguyen in the miniseries.

 

He says Better Man aims to give audiences insight into Nguyen's life and a chance to see what kind of person he was.

 

"We've all seen the mugshot of this poor guy convicted in Singapore, and we all read the newspaper headlines. But to actually get an intimate look at what was going on this young Australian's life ... He was a hard-working kid. Throughout high school, he held down three jobs to help pay the rent, pay the school fees ... get himself, his mum, his brother across the line."

 

Van Nguyen, from Melbourne, said at the time that he committed the crime to pay off his brother's debts.

 

Despite a national push to save his life, he was hanged three years later, at age 25.

 

His fate polarised Australians.

 

Writer and director Khoa Do says he does not seek to condone Van Nguyen's crime in Better Man.

 

"I don't think that what we're saying is that what Van did is right in any way, shape or form. We're saying that Van did something incredibly wrong, and he was remorseful for it, he admitted his guilt and his mistakes from Day 1. But we're saying, 'Shouldn't he just be punished for that? Why is he being executed?'"

 

Van Nguyen's mother Kim released a statement ahead of the series premiere, saying she was upset the drama had been made.

 

She says the production of it traumatised her and has opened up old wounds.

 

But Khoa Do says he felt it was an important Australian story to tell and he hopes it will reopen the debate over the death penalty.

 

"I think it's important for us to tell stories which are important major national Australian stories -- stories which, at the time, really either united the country or divided the country. But everyone has an opinion, everyone has a view. I hope that it reignites the debate on capital punishment, because, right now, around the world, we do have many who are currently sitting and waiting on death row."

 

Ronald Ryan was the last man executed in Australia, hanged in Melbourne's Pentridge prison in 1965.

 

But capital punishment is alive and well around the world.

 

Amnesty International says at least 680 people were executed last year, mostly in the Middle East and the United States.

 

And experts say it is impossible to account for secret executions in countries such as China and Syria.

 

But fewer are taking place around the world.

 

Singapore now allows judges to impose life imprisonment instead of the death penalty for certain drug-trafficking cases.

 

But it was too late for Van Nguyen.

 

"Before I go, I must sing everyone my favourite song. 'Give me endless summer ... because, Lord, I feel the cold ... feel I'm getting old ... before my time ... Lord, I'm doing ... all I can ... to be a better man.'"

 

Those behind the miniseries hope it will remind Australians of the lives still at stake.

 

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran lost their final appeals for clemency in 2011.

 

Friends and family say the men have reformed and are contributing to the prison community.

 

Brigid Delaney, the Mercy Campaign founder, says it is no defence of drug dealers to suggest there is a better way to handle them.

 

"People who are ... who campaign against the death penalty don't want drug dealers and convicted murderers to be set free. They expect tough sentencing. But the idea that someone be killed for a crime is something that we're very much against. By supporting the campaign, you're not giving drug dealers a free kick.You're just saying you don't think people should be killed because of one mistake."

 

Those behind the campaign are hoping the Indonesian president agrees.

 

"Mercy. Mercy. Mercy." (fades out ...)

 

 






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