Pleas continue but time running out for Bali Nine pair

Reality is closing in on Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australians condemned to execution in Indonesia for drug-trafficking.

An Amnesty International poster supporting the Bali Nine pair

An Amnesty International poster supporting the Bali Nine pair

(Transcript from World News Radio)

Reality is closing in on Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australians condemned to execution in Indonesia for drug-trafficking.

 

The two were arrested in April 2005 and eventually found to be the leaders of the so-called Bali Nine drug ring.

 

Now, virtually a decade to the day, they appear close to being tied to poles and shot by firing squad.

 

Ron Sutton has the story.

 

(Click on audio tab to listen to this item)

 

The grim reality facing Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran could be no clearer than this straightforward acknowledgement by their lawyer, Peter Morrissey.

 

"Pictures have emerged of their names being inscribed on crosses which will be put above their graves once they are shot by firing squad. And the date on that is the 29th of April. And that, of course, is Wednesday."

 

Mr Morrissey was speaking on Sky News as expectations move to early Wednesday morning as the time of execution for the two Australians and at least seven others.

 

The pair convicted of smuggling drugs into Indonesia 10 years ago, and the others, were given a minimum of 72 hours' notice on Saturday of the executions on Nusukambangan island.

 

Across the strait in the Java port town of Cilicap, a local mortician has been photographed inscribing the Christian victims' names and the date on the crosses.

 

All of the crosses are dated April the 29th, and the traditional hour for carrying out executions on Indonesia's prison island is shortly after the stroke of midnight.

 

Nusukambangan is three hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.

 

The crosses will reportedly be placed on the victims' coffins for the families or authorities to collect after Indonesian authorities hand over the bodies.

 

The families have been granted the right to visit each day until they are killed.

 

But at Cilicap, Chan and Sukumaran's leading Indonesian lawyer has pleaded one more time for a change of heart from President Joko Widodo.

 

Speaking with the media after visiting the pair in prison, Todung Lubis has again raised the issue of claims of corruption and bribery in the two men's court cases.

 

"We appeal to the Attorney-General, we appeal to the President, in the name of due process of law, in the name of fairness and justice, not to do the executions. This is not an act of desperado here. This is a demand for justice."

 

There have been allegations that judges in the District Court trial demanded $130,000 to give the two men a lighter sentence, then demanded more later on.

 

In Australia, independent Senator Nick Xenophon also has called for more time to consider the corruption and bribery claims.

 

Meanwhile, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has renewed her appeal for mercy.

 

"Nothing can be gained and much will be lost if these executions proceed. Mr Sukumaran and Mr Chan are deeply and genuinely remorseful for what they have done, and they have been rehabilitated in a most remarkable way over the past 10 years. Both men have committed to a new path in their lives. Mr Chan was ordained as a Christian minister last month. Mr Sukumaran recently completed a degree in fine arts. He's a skilled artist. Both men have contributed to the rehabilitation of other prisoners in the Indonesian prison system. And I believe that both men deserve a second chance."

 

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, on a visit to France, says the executions are not in Indonesia's best interests either.

 

"I think all like-minded countries stand together in wanting to uphold the best values of civilisation, and the death penalty is not something that accords with the best values of our civilisation."

 

In Indonesia, several prominent figures in the country have also recorded videos for an online mercy campaign, calling on President Widodo to intervene.

 

The former head of Indonesia's National Commission for Human Rights, lawyer Ifdhal Kasim, was specific about saving Chan and Sukumaran.

 

(Bahasa, then translated:) "The two Australian convicts on death row have asked for clemency from the President. The President should carefully consider them, taking into account the specifics of their cases. These two convicts have served a long period of sentence in Indonesia, and they have made changes in their lives. There have been changes from the moment they were arrested to this day. There are changes demonstrating that the two have come to their senses. Therefore, clemency is well-deserved, because they have shown goodwill, they changed their attitudes and they want to become new persons who might be useful for their families and the community in their home countries."

 


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5 min read

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By Ron Sutton


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