We don’t have the death penalty in Australia and even though Australian authorities tipped Indonesia off about a drug scandal, because bringing drugs into Indonesia will not be tolerated, the highest price possible for such a crime, death, will be charged.
Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, members of the Bali Nine, were sentenced to death in 2006 and after several failed legal appeals and two denials of clemency, their execution by firing squad is said to be close.
In April 2009, the men were arrested, along with seven other young Australians, after an Australian Federal Police tip-off under former chief Mick Keelty. The other seven members of the Bali Nine group were sentenced to between 20 years and life behind bars.
And now, any day now, the two Australians will be taken to Bali’s Kerobokan prison on the island of Nusa Kambangan to be executed by firing squad.
Bali’s chief prosecutor, Momock Bambang Samiarso, said the transfer to Nusakambangan could be Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week.
Lawyers were expected to lodge another legal appeal late yesterday.
The argument for clemency is the Sukumaran and Chan have rehabilitated and are being of service in the jails and have set up a drug rehabilitation program and run art, cooking and computer classes.
Australian lawyer, Julian McMahon, said it would be “unthinkable” for the executions to proceed while there is a process of having an appeal heard.
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has reportedly said there is no clemency for drug dealers.
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