February 24, 2015

No Thinking Humanity in Jakarta

located:	Indonesia
editor:	Ama Lorenz

Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" drug smuggling gang, were arrested for trying to traffic heroin out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year. Today an Indonesian court has dismissed the complaint on death row after President Joko Widodo had rejected an appeal for clemency. This was reported by the lawyer of the two death row inmates.

In Australia, the death sentence had caused consternation. More than 150,000 people signed a petition for clemency, members of the Australian show business organized a benefit concert in Sydney, even the Australian government had repeatedly requested clemency.

"Clemency is the prerogative of the president ... the state administrative court has no right to rule on the challenge", stated Judge Hendro Puspito. He said that the pair had 14 days to lodge an an appeal, and their lawyers said they would.

Tensions between Australia and Indonesia have dramatically heightened by the looming executions. That counts also for the relations between France and Indonesia. So has President Francois Hollande been unsuccessful active on behalf of Serge Areski Atlaoui. The French national had his 2006 life sentence upgraded to death in 2007. President Widodo rejected Atlaoui’s clemency appeal in January of this year.

According to Chanel NewsAsia Chan and Sukumaran are among seven foreigners - including citizens from France, Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria - who have lost their appeals for presidential clemency, the final hope of avoiding the firing squad.

Read more about Indonesia’s death rows: Meet the nine others on Indonesia’s death row (with death row diaries)