Two Australian drug smugglers in Indonesia were transferred
Wednesday to an island where they will be executed, as the Australian leader
said his country was "revolted" by their looming deaths after frantic
diplomatic efforts to save them.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the
so-called "Bali Nine" drug smuggling gang, were woken and given a few
minutes to get ready before leaving Bali's Kerobokan jail in the early hours,
said local justice ministry official Nyoman Putra Surya.
The men, sentenced to death in 2006 for trying to smuggle
heroin out of Indonesia, said "thank you" before leaving, and
"we handcuffed them and they were quiet", he added.
Michael Chan attempted to see his brother Andrew before the
transfer but prison officials denied him entry, with Surya saying the decision
was taken because "today is not visiting day".
About 200 police, 50 soldiers and a water cannon were
stationed outside the Bali prison as the men, in their early 30s, were driven
out.
The pair were flown to Cilacap, on Java island, on a
chartered commercial flight accompanied by military aircraft.
View galleryA supporter of two Australian drug smugglers on
death …
A supporter of two Australian drug smugglers on death row
lights candles for a vigil outside Kerobok …
Two armoured vehicles escorted by elite police then boarded
a boat at the local port which crossed to Nusakambangan island, home to several
high security prisons and where the pair will be executed, an AFP reporter at
the scene said.
The men recently lost their appeals for presidential
clemency, typically a death row convict's last chance to avoid the firing
squad. Officials have yet to announce a date for their executions, but the
transfer indicates it is imminent.
Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said Wednesday that final
preparations, such as training the firing squads, were still being made before
a date could be set for execution of the Australians and several other drugs
offenders.
Authorities must give convicts 72 hours notice before they
are executed. Convicts from France, Brazil, the Philippines, Nigeria and Ghana
also recently lost appeals for clemency, and speculation is mounting over
whether they will be included in the next round of executions.
- 'Sick in their guts' -
View galleryAn Indonesian police vehicle, used to transfer
two …
An Indonesian police vehicle, used to transfer two
Australian drug smugglers on death row, leaves Ke …
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has repeatedly called for
Jakarta not to go ahead with the executions, said Australians were sickened by
the developments.
"We frankly are revolted by the prospect of these
executions," he said, adding that "right now millions of Australians
are feeling sick in their guts".
Abbott said he hoped there might be a "change of heart
in Indonesia", but added: "What I don't want, though, is to hold out
false hope."
However, he added: "I hope that even at this late hour,
the better angels of the Indonesian peoples' nature will reassert
themselves".
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told parliament in Canberra
she had spoken with the families of Chan and Sukumaran and they were
"devastated", while Attorney-General George Brandis said the
government had made at least 22 representations to Indonesian officials since
January.
View galleryAngelita Muxfeldt (L), cousin of Brazlian
prisoner …
Angelita Muxfeldt (L), cousin of Brazlian prisoner Rodrigo
Gularte, and Sabine Atlaoui (R), wife of
…
President Joko Widodo has been unswayed by the barrage of
international appeals, insisting that Indonesia is facing an
"emergency" due to rising narcotics use, and Prasetyo reiterated the
government's tough line.
"We want to... send a message to all parties and to the
international community that Indonesia is working hard to battle drug
crimes," he said.
The Australians are among a group of 10 drug convicts
expected to face the firing squad in the upcoming batch of executions.
Indonesia executed six people, including five foreigners, in
January, sparking a diplomatic storm as Brazil and the Netherlands -- whose
citizens were among those put to death -- recalled their ambassadors.
Officials have said that gathering convicts on Nusakambangan
is the final stage before the executions. Some are already on the island.
The Australians' lawyers have launched a series of
last-ditch legal bids to try and stop the executions, and have urged
authorities not to go ahead with the executions while the legal process is
still ongoing.
Brazil and France have also been ramping up pressure, with
Paris summoning Indonesia's envoy and the Brazilian president refusing to
accept the credentials of the new Indonesian ambassador.
The family of the Brazilian, Rodrigo Gularte, say that he
has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and should be in a psychiatric
facility.
The Frenchman facing execution, Serge Atlaoui, has also
applied for a judicial review of his sentence, and his wife said last week he
was hopeful of success.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australians-indonesia-death-row-leave-execution-island-afp-225140940.html
Posts
