Closing summary
This live blog is wrapping up now. Please do click through to our new live blog, which will pick up all the reaction to the deaths of eight men in Indonesia, including the Bali Nine pair, and the reprieve of Mary Jane Veloso.
Here is a round-up of a dark night:
- Indonesia has executed eight men convicted of drugs offences. The men were put to death by firing squad at around 00.30 local time (3.30am AEST) after all pleas for clemency were rejected.
- But there was a surprise last-minute reprieve for Philippines woman Mary Jane Veloso after the Indonesian attorney general responded to calls from Manila that she should be spared to act as a witness against the woman expected to be charged with trafficking her.
- The eight men included Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, leaders of the so-called Bali Nine drugs gang. Chan’s brother Michael said:
I have just lost a courageous brother to a flawed Indonesian legal system.
I miss you already RIP my Little Brother.
- Chan and Sukumaran’s Indonesian lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, tweeted:
I failed. I lost.
I am sorry.
- Four Nigerian men – Okwuduli Oyatanze, Martin Anderson, Raheem Agbaje Salami and Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise – were also killed, along with Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte and Zainal Abidin, an Indonesian man. You can read more about them all here.
- Brazil’s foreign ministry confirmed that Gularte, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been executed. In January, Brazil withdrew its ambassador from Indonesia after another man was executed.
- Australian politicians reacted quickly, with opposition leader Bill Shorten and shadow foreign affairs minister Tanya Plibersek calling on the government to deliver “a strong response”.
- Vigils were held in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia in support of the executed prisoners. Campaigners for the Bali Nine pair said they would continue to call for an end to the death penalty.
- It is expected that the Indonesian attorney general H.M. Prasetyo will make a statement giving official confirmation of the executions shortly
- Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, is also due to give a press conference this morning, in which she will be under pressure to set out the government’s next steps in its relationship with Indonesia.
Thank you for reading. Our new live blog is here.
Indonesia’s Jakarta Globe newspaper has published its Wednesday front page:
Front Page, April 29: Eight drug convicts executed despite concerted clemency calls from foreign leaders pic.twitter.com/4tVeKnOnRK
— The Jakarta Globe (@thejakartaglobe) April 28, 2015
Australian Labor: 'Indonesia’s actions demand a strong response'
Australia’s opposition leader Bill Shorten and shadow foreign affairs minister Tanya Plibersek have issued a strong statement condemning the executions.
Here is their full statement:
Our best hopes have been dashed and our worst fears realised.
Labor condemns the execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in the strongest possible terms. We extend our heartfelt condolences to all who mourn the loss of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
A decade ago, these two young men made a dreadful mistake. By all accounts they spent every minute since seeking to mend their ways and to steer others on the road to redemption. Proof the justice system could reform wrongdoers, not just punish wrongdoing.
Yet today, they were made to pay for one stupid decision of ten years ago with their lives.
Indonesia has not just robbed two young men of their lives but robbed itself of two examples of the strengths of its justice system.
These executions significantly weaken Indonesia’s ability to plead mercy for its own citizens facing execution around the world.
As a close friend and neighbour of Indonesia, Australia is deeply hurt that our pleas for mercy were ignored.
It was completely unacceptable for Indonesia to proceed as it did when critical legal processes were yet to run their course, raising serious questions about Indonesia’s commitment to the rule of law.
Indonesia’s actions demand a strong response from the Australian government.
Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran committed a terrible crime. They deserved serious punishment, but not this.
This morning’s news will fall heavily on the many hardworking and courageous people working for their cause. We acknowledge also the tireless efforts of our diplomatic corps, our embassy staff in Indonesia and the prime minister and the foreign minister.
At all times, the Australian government and opposition have worked together and stood united, against the death penalty and in pursuit of clemency.
Labor opposes the death penalty in every circumstance, in every country. Its continued existence diminishes us all.
The international community must renew its resolve to rid the world of this barbaric practice, and Australia should stand ready to lead this work.
There is relief among supporters of Mary Jane Veloso as it was confirmed that her execution had been stayed. Although her reprieve is said to be temporary, her family said it gave them fresh hope.
Her mother, Celia Veloso, told Philippine radio station DZMM:
Miracles do come true. We are so happy, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe my child will live.
We had no more hope. My [other] children were already in the island waiting to pick up her body.
We are all so happy. Her kids were all awake, yelling ‘Yes, yes, mama will live!’
I will tell her it is true what she said: if God wants you to live, as long as there is a minute left, he will save you.
Charles Jose, spokesman for the Philippine department of foreign affairs, said:
We are relieved that the execution of Mary Jane Veloso was not carried out tonight.
The Lord has answered our prayers.
On the street outside the Indonesian embassy in Manila, where a group of activists had been staging a vigil for Veloso, people cheered and hugged each other as news of the reprieve was announced.
Relatives in the family’s home town of Cabanatuan also burst out cheering, radio reports said.
Chan and Sukumaran’s Australian lawyer Peter Morrissey has been speaking to Sky News Australia:
We had hope all along because there were good arguments to be put.
[On the corruption allegations], the only way to find out if that’s true or not is to let that case unfold.
There is a little bit of comfort that they didn’t shoot Mary Jane.
We thought, in the end, they will listen … but when [Indonesian president Joko Widodo] came along it was just about power.
With respect to the corruption allegations … it will proceed. But they won’t get to interview Andrew and Myuran.
A tenth death row prisoner, Serge Atlaioui, from France, was due to be executed this week, but his sentence has been delayed pending a legal challenge.
Atlaoui was arrested for working in a factory used to produce ecstasy. He claims he was working as a welder and was unaware of the illegal activity.
On Tuesday night footballers from French club Metz wore shirts bearing Arlaoui’s image, calling for clemency:
Amnesty International has issued a statement on what it calls the “theatre of cruelty” played out tonight.
Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said:
The world has watched on as this theatre of cruelty played out, with this most tragic of endings.
It did not have to come to this. The death penalty is never the answer.
A selection of Myuran Sukumaran's art work from his exhibition at @AmnestyUK last week #Bali9 #IStandForMercy pic.twitter.com/w80uKeRoUR
— Athar Ahmad (@AtharAAhmad) April 28, 2015
Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s research director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:
These executions are utterly reprehensible – they were carried out with complete disregard for internationally recognised safeguards on the use of the death penalty.
President Joko Widodo should immediately abandon plans to carry out further executions and impose a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards abolition.
The death penalty is always a human rights violation, but there are a number of factors that make today’s executions even more distressing.
Some of the prisoners were reportedly not provided access to competent lawyers or interpreters during their arrest and initial trial, in violation of their right to a fair trial which is recognised under international and national law.
One of those executed today, Rodrigo Gularte, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and international law clearly prohibits the use of the death penalty against those with mental disabilities.
It’s also troubling that people convicted of drug trafficking have been executed, even though this does not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’ for which the death penalty can be imposed under international law.
As Australia wakes up to news that two of its citizens have been executed, there is likely to be pressure on the government to take a strong line against Indonesia.
As my colleague Michael Safi reports:
Speaking hours before the executions, Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said she was “deeply disturbed” by Indonesia’s handling of the matter and warned there “will have to be consequences”.
Australia has never withdrawn diplomatic staff over an execution of a citizen abroad, but is reportedly considering all options.
The human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson QC, called on Tuesday for some of the $600m Australia directs to Indonesia each year in foreign aid to be redirected to Nepal.
You can read more about the eight men who were killed tonight in this series of profiles, along with the background to Mary Jane Veloso’s tortuous journey to her last-minute – if potentially temporary – reprieve.
The eight men who were put to death by firing squad were:
- Myuran Sukumaran, from Australia
- Andrew Chan, Australia
-
Martin Anderson, Nigeria
- Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Nigeria
- Rodrigo Gularte, Brazil
- Raheem Agbaje Salami, Nigeria
- Okwudily Oyantze, Nigeria
- Zaenal Abidin, Indonesia
There is news from a spokesperson for Indonesia’s attorney general, however, that Mary Jane Veloso was spared after a woman who allegedly recruited her to act as a drug courier gave herself up to police in the Philippines on Tuesday.
The spokesperson said in a text message to media:
There was a request from the Philippine president regarding the perpetrator who’s suspected of committing human trafficking and surrendered in the Philippines.
MJ is needed for her testimony.
According to the AAP news agency, it could yet be some hours before the Indonesian attorney general makes a statement on the deaths:
Officials on Cilacap have yet to confirm the executions. Attorney general HM Prasetyo will leave Jakarta for Cilacap at 5.30am (08.30 AEST) where he is expected to make a statement, Cabinet secretary Andi Widjajanto said.
But Indonesian media has reported the eight were shot dead at 12.25am (0325 AEST) on the island of Nusakambangan on Wednesday.
It is still early in Australia, just after 4.30am, and there will no doubt be much more reaction from politicians once dawn breaks.
But some have clearly stayed up tonight to hear news of the deaths of Chan, Sukumaran and their six co-prisoners and we are seeing tweets condemning the decision to go ahead with the executions in the face of widespread opposition and pleas for clemency.
This is from Steven Ciobo, Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary to Julie Bishop, the minister for foreign affairs:
There are few greater displays of abuse of State power and regressive thinking than the death penalty. #RIP
— Steven Ciobo (@steveciobo) April 28, 2015
This from Labor member and shadow minister for finance, Tony Burke:
Lives lost. Nothing gained. #IStandForMercy
— Tony Burke (@Tony_Burke) April 28, 2015
Another Labor member, former minister for international development Melissa Parke:
Terrible sadness for these 2 brave dignified young men, their families, friends & lawyers who fought so hard. #IStandForMercy @BenQuilty
— Melissa Parke MP (@MelissaParkeMP) April 28, 2015
Our reporter in Cilacap, Dina Indrasafitri, sends this brief dispatch from the gates of the port:
A number of cars, including police cars, have entered through the gate.
Police are telling more people to leave the area and go home, saying: ‘There is nothing more.’
Pictures from the scene show that officers have cleared a route through the crowds, as they await the arrival of ambulances carrying the bodies of the executed men.
Philippines confirms reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso
The Philippines department of foreign affairs has confirmed to reporters that Mary Jane Veloso was not executed along with the other prisoners tonight.
The reprieve is said to be a temporary one, however.
Earlier today, the Philippines government sent an “extremely urgent” letter to the Indonesian attorney-general asking for a “suspension of execution of the death sentence”.
This followed news that Maria Kristina Sergio, the woman who allegedly recruited Veloso as a (she says unwitting) drugs courier, apparently handed herself into police in the Philippines.
Reports tonight say Veloso’s death sentence has been postponed so that she can act as a witness in any trial of Sergio.
Updated
Michael Chan, brother of Andrew, one of the Australian men executed tonight, has posted this tribute on Twitter:
I have just lost a Courageous brother to a flawed Indonesian legal system. I miss you already RIP my Little Brother
— Michael chan (@Changa5378) April 28, 2015
My colleague Michael Safi has filed this latest report on the news that eight men have been executed tonight:
The Indonesian government has executed eight people for drug offences, including two Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumuran, who were the subject of a years-long campaign for clemency.
The development – reported widely by Indonesian media but not officially confirmed – marks the end of years of campaigning to spare the men, who were sentenced to death in 2006 for their part in the “Bali Nine” heroin-smuggling ring.
Also executed were four Nigerians, a Brazilian and an Indonesian. All had been convicted of drug crimes.
Mary Jane Veloso, a Philippines woman, was reported to have received a last-minute reprieve.
Updated
Confirmed: Indonesia has executed eight men tonight
Amelia Freelander of Amnesty International has this confirmation:
#Indonesia confirms executions of 8: including Myu and Andrew. The darkest of days. The fight to end death penalty must continue.
— Amelia Freelander (@AmeliaAmnestyOz) April 28, 2015
A lawyer who acted for the two Australian men has just tweeted:
I failed. I lost.
Shots have also been heard by those waiting at Cilacap port.
#Bali9 duo lawyer mourns the loss of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran https://t.co/9ofXUsncL2
— Rappler Indonesia (@RapplerID) April 28, 2015
I failed. I lost.
— Todung Mulya Lubis (@TodungLubis) April 28, 2015
The family of Mary Jane Veloso has been told of her reported reprieve:
The family is ecstatic, dumbfounded, in tears. "Thank you, thank you, thank you" pic.twitter.com/x34lBzkN4w
— Jet Damazo-Santos (@jetdsantos) April 28, 2015
The Jakarta Post quotes a few sources – some anonymous – confirming the deaths of the eight men.
“We’ve carried out the executions,” said an attorney general’s office official, talking to the press on condition of anonymity.
“The executions were carried out at 12:30am,” Suhendro Putro, funeral director with the Javanese Christian Church in Cilacap, said in a short message service.
A Cilacap police officer said that after the executions, prayers were said for each person according to their respective religion. “The executions went well, without any disruptions,” he said.
A lawyer for Mary Jane Veloso has told reporters in Cilacap that he is still seeking confirmation of her reprieve, but that he thought it likely that her life had been spared.
We are working hard to secure confirmation of the executions and Veloso’s reported reprieve.
Official confirmation could take some time. But two Indonesian TV stations, as well as the Jakarta Post, are reporting that eight executions have taken place, with Veloso spared.
We are unlikely to get official confirmation of the executions from Australian officials at least for a couple of hours. #Bali9
— Jayne Azzopardi (@JayneAzzo) April 28, 2015
Amnesty still working to verify reports of 8 executions in #Indonesia. Media reports are coming through but no official announcement
— Amelia Freelander (@AmeliaAmnestyOz) April 28, 2015
Indonesian television is also reporting that the executions of eight prisoners – all men – have taken place, but that the Filipina woman, Mary Jane Veloso, was spared at the last minute, after a woman accused of tricking her into carrying drugs turned herself into police in the Philippines on Tuesday.
There are reports that the executions took place at around 00.25 local time.
I must stress that there has still been no official confirmation of either the deaths or the reprieve.
Report: executions have taken place, Veloso reprieved
The Jakarta Post is reporting that eight prisoners were executed tonight, but that Mary Jane Veloso won a last-minute reprieve.
The Guardian cannot confirm this report at the moment. We will bring you more information as we have it.
Rappler Indonesia has published what it says is the order of executions.
The Guardian has not been able to verify this.
- Myuran Sukumaran
- Andrew Chan
- Mary Jane Veloso
- Martin Anderson
- Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise
- Rodrigo Gularte
- Raheem Agbaje Salami
- Okwudily Oyantze
- Zaenal Abidin
It is past midnight in Indonesia. For now we all wait.
Families of Chan and Sukumaran are together in a Cilacap hotel waiting for word on the executions. @7NewsSydney @7NewsPerth
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
AAP has these comments from Indonesian attorney-general HM Prasetyo, from earlier tonight:
Nine death row convicts will be executed tonight, later after midnight.
Asked about a joint statement by the EU, France and Australia urging Indonesia to cease its executions, Prasetyo cited Indonesia’s legal sovereignty:
That’s what our laws decided. We say, our courts are open, fair and nothing is closed.
We have explained that we’re not against them [personally]. What we fight is the serious crime of drugs.
We ask for prayers and support from everyone so that this unpleasant duty can be finished well, without any disturbances.
Prisoners moved to execution site – reports
Indonesian television says all nine prisoners have been moved from their cells to the execution site.
Our reporter in Cilacap, Dina Indrasafitri, sends this dispatch as midnight strikes in Indonesia:
Four people, including two from Mothers for Mercy, are standing in a circle putting their arms around each other, praying in the Christian manner.
One is weeping as he prays. Religious songs are being played through a speaker.
One of the people praying is Owen Pomana, an itinerate evangelist from New Zealand. The other male is Chairul Anwar from Malang, Indonesia. Two others were women from the organisation Mothers for Mercy.
Updated
Reporters at Cilacap port, from where ferries cross to the island prison of Nusa Kambangan, say the mood is becoming increasingly sombre as midnight approaches there.
We are also hearing that Indonesian television is reporting that the prisoners are currently being moved from their cells to the execution site, though this hasn’t been confirmed.
Crowds swelling at Cilacap port as time ticks closer to midnight & impending executions. @7NewsSydney @7NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/7dAKyxSRus
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
Hallelujah has started playing on a loud speaker as a prayer corcle begins #bali9 @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/Qp89pm7tDD
— Dan Bourchier (@Dan_Bourchier) April 28, 2015
Richard Branson has tweeted his support for the condemned prisoners and called on President Widodo to offer a last-minute reprieve:
Those set to be executed are living proof of capacity to reform & rehabilitate offenders into productive members of society #IStandForMercy
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 28, 2015
#IStandForMercy – all decent human beings stand for mercy. @AndiWidjajanto @jokowi_do2 @Pak_JK, Indonesia – will you stand for mercy?
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 28, 2015
Sky News Australia reports that the Australian consul general, Majell Hind, is on Nusa Kambangan.
Following the executions, she will take custody of the bodies of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, and bring them back from the island, after which they will be moved to West Jakarta.
The consul general will then meet the families and inform them officially. The families will then also travel to West Jakarta.
Amnesty International posts these details of how the executions will take place:
They are due to be shot by human beings. A group of special police officers will tie each prisoner to a post in dark nightfall, just before midnight. A colleague will shine a torch onto the prisoner’s heart.
Another group of police officers will line up and fire at the target. Only some of the officers will have live ammunition, others will fire blanks so that they don’t have to face the moral consequence of guilt and blame, of knowing who fired the fatal shots.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo has been the focus of appeals for clemency for supporters of those facing death tonight.
He has been largely silent on the issue in recent weeks, but in January he signalled his intention to take a firm line with those convicted of drugs offences:
Imagine, every day we have 50 people die because of narcotics …
We are not going to compromise for drug dealers. No compromise.
Last year there were no executions carried out in Indonesia. Since the beginning of 2015, there have been six. Tonight that number will rise to 15.
Updated
The executions are due to begin in one hour from now, at midnight Jakarta time.
Here are some of the images from vigils for the nine prisoners taking place tonight.
The Philippines
Australia
Updated
The fate of the four Nigerian men who will face execution tonight has not seen such high-profile media coverage or political reaction in their home country.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a member of Nigeria’s house of representatives, has been involved on the men’s behalf and yesterday tweeted that “we keep pleading and hoping”:
@GeorgeUwaifo we visited them in Prison 21 Nigs Met all relevant officials But they remain adamant We keep pleading and hoping
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) April 27, 2015
@GeorgeUwaifo Indonesia made that law clear And as you land the airport messages of death for drugs all over
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) April 27, 2015
My colleague Jonathan Watts sends this dispatch from Brazil, where there is great anger at the imminent execution in Indonesia of Rodrigo Gularte, a Brazilian man diagnosed with schizophrenia:
Indonesia’s decision to execute a Brazilian drug smugger has prompted an angry response in his home country, where the case has made front-page news.
Rodrigo Gularte, who has twice been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is set to be the second Brazilian to be shot by firing squad in Indonesia this year.
The Brazilian foreign ministry has declared the death sentence “unacceptable” and “contrary to the common sense and basic standards of human rights protection” in a letter sent on Monday to the government in Jakarta.
Gularte, who is from a wealthy family in the state of Paraná , was arrested at Jakarta airport in 2004 with 6kgs of cocaine secreted in a surfboard.
His lawyers have argued unsuccessfully that his history of mental illness made him unfit to stand trial. Gularte was first diagnosed with a mental illness in 1982, according to medical documents obtained by his legal team. He has twice been hospitalised for drug abuse and dropped out of three college courses.
Last year, doctors confirmed the schizophrenia diagnosis. Indonesia’s attorney general ordered a second opinion from police doctors, but this has not been made public, prompting criticism of the lack of transparency.
In Brazil, where the death penalty has not been used for more than 120 years, the case has generated huge interest and no little outrage. Four of the five top-read stories on the Folha de São Paulo website relate to Gularte.
His cousin Angelita Muxfeldt, who is in Indonesia, said Gularte has asked to be buried in Brazil. “I’ve been here for three months and never seen Rodrigo so calm,” she told the domestic media.
Leonardo Monteiro, charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Brazil in Jakarta said the convict alternated between lucidity and delirium, declaring the execution mere “theatre and fiction”.
Horas antes da execução, prima diz que Rodrigo Gularte está "calmo" http://t.co/hCFK5Z3PEA pic.twitter.com/X3QOCjL2cF
— Folha de S.Paulo (@folha) April 28, 2015
The Indonesian attorney general has reportedly now backtracked on an earlier decision that Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran would not be allowed to have with them in their final moments the Christian ministers of their choice.
Chan and Sukumaran had been told they would not be permitted to have Christie Buckingham and David Soper to comfort them, with the attorney-general’s office saying it would appoint its own religious counsellors to attend the execution.
The ruling provoked an outcry, with many accusing the authorities of inflicting deliberate cruelty on the two men.
It now appears that decision has been reversed, and Soper and Buckingham will be able to be with the two prisoners.
The nine prisoners will be executed separately, in turn, after midnight Jakarta time.
Each will have a separate firing squad of 12 officers. Three of the 12 guns will contain live rounds.
In March, the Guardian spoken to a police officer who has been part of a firing squad on Nusa Kambangan. He told my colleague Kate Lamb about his role:
The mental burden is heavier for the officers that are responsible for handling the prisoners rather than shooting them.
Because those officers are involved in picking them up, and tying their hands together, until they are gone.
A wing of the Indonesian police corps known as the Mobile Brigade (“Brimob”) carries out the executions on top of its regular duties. They are not full-time executioners but special police officers assigned to the job. They are paid less than $100 on top of their existing salary to carry out their grim task.
I don’t make conversation with the prisoners. I treat them like they are a member of my own family.
I say only: ‘I’m sorry, I am just doing the job.’
Of being part of the firing squad, the officer describes the experience with detachment:
We just come in, grab the weapon, shoot, and wait for the dying to finish. Once the ‘bam’ of the gun we wait 10 minutes, if the doctor pronounces him dead then we return, that’s about it.
It doesn’t take more than five minutes to be over.
The officer said he sees his role as simply doing his duty:
I am bound by my oath as a soldier. The prisoner violated the law and we are carrying out a command. We are just the executors. The question of whether it is sin or not is up to God.
Rappler reports that Mary Jane Veloso has been told she will be the third of the nine prisoners to face the firing squad tonight.
Indonesian prisoner Zainal Abidin will reportedly be the last.
Mary Jane’s mother Celia said she had a message for her sons:
“Love each other, don’t fight. Your father has another wife and I will be gone. If you are rowdy, I will pinch you. If you feel anything cold, that’s me.”
Celia also said her daughter does not want to be blindfolded and handcuffed during the execution. She’s not afraid, according to Mary Jane’s mother.
Rest of #MaryJane Veloso's family now getting ready to head back to Jakarta to meet her body when it gets there pic.twitter.com/XO2Mga8ngJ
— Jet Damazo-Santos (@jetdsantos) April 28, 2015
Indonesian attorney-general confirms executions tonight
Indonesia’s attorney-general says the executions of the nine prisoners will take place tonight after midnight, Jakarta time (3am AEST, 6pm BST).
This is Claire Phipps, taking over from Calla Wahlquist on the live blog now.
Updated
Summary: nine prisoners face execution within hours
It now looks almost certain that death row prisoners imprisoned on Indonesia’s Nusa Kambangan Island will face the firing squad tonight.
They are Rodrigo Gularte, from Brazil; Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, from the Philippines; Martin Anderson (aka Belo), Raheem Agbaje Salami, Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise and Okwudili Oyatanze, from Nigeria; Zainal Abidin bin Mgs Mahmud Badarudin, from Indonesia; and Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, from Australia.
You can read more about their individual stories here.
Here’s what we know:
- Indonesian attorney-general H.M. Prasetyo has confirmed that the executions of nine death row inmates on Nusa Kambangan, including Australians Chan and Sukumaran and Filipina woman Veloso, will go ahead tonight.
- Sukumaran’s mother, Raji, told reporters at Cilacap on Tuesday afternoon that her son would be killed “at midnight”. That accords with suggestions from the Indonesian government, but Prasetyo has refused to name a time.
- The families of Chan and Sukumaran have made heartfelt pleas to Indonesian president Joko Widodo to spare their loved ones lives and calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, with Michael Chan describing leaving his brother for the last time as “torture”.
-
Christie Buckingham and David Soper, the nominated spiritual counsellors of Sukumaran and Chan, arrived at Nusa Kambangan about 8pm local time, along with other spiritual advisors including Romo Carolus, a local priest who is known to attend death row prisoners. Ambulances carrying coffins arrived earlier on Tuesday.
- Veloso’s execution appears likely to go ahead despite an appeal by Philippine president Benigno Aquino, who said she was a vital witness in a pending drug trafficking trial. Veloso’s lawyers have long maintained she acted as an unknowing mule to drug smugglers when she was arrested with 2kg heroin in 2010 and Maria Cristina Sergio, the woman who allegedly recruited her, reportedly handed herself into Philippine authorities on Tuesday.
- Laywers for Brazillian man Rodrigo Gularte have filed a last-minute appeal, saying he was denied procedural fairness in his clemency application.
- French prisoner Serge Areski Atlaoui has been given a temporary reprieve.
- The European Union and Australian and French governments have issued a joint plea urging Widodo to “forgive” the death row prisoners and supporting the UN secretary general’s statement, in which he asked Indonesia to “urgently consider declaring a moratorium on the death penalty in Indonesia”.
- Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has said there would be “consequences” for Indonesia if the executions go ahead, but she said: “I fear that this execution will proceed.”
We will have coverage throughout the following hours on this live blog.
Updated
Fairfax Media’s Indonesian correspondent, Jewel Topsfield, has filed a report saying there’s no indication Indonesian President Joko Widodo will make a last minute show of mercy.
She writes:
The men will be tied to wooden planks in a field and shot about midnight.
The piece then goes into detail about the Indonesian execution process. You can read the distressing report here.
The Indonesian press has picked up Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop’s comments about the pending executions. Earlier tonight she told ABC’s 7.30 program that Indonesia handling of the prisoners had been “chaotic” and said there would be “consequences” if the executions went ahead.
Read the full report from The Jakarta Post here.
Our reporter in Cilacap, Dina Indrasafitri, says cars have begun arriving at the gate to the crossing to Nusa Kambangan Island.
The past 10 to 15 minutes saw a number of cars entering the gate leading to the crossing, carrying a number of figures with close relationships with those facing the death penalty. Among them were representatives from Australia, relatives and significant others, including close friend of Raheem Agbaje, priest Romo Carolus, legal activists defending Rodrigo Gularte. The cars dropped them off and turned back.
More on the role ministers Buckingham and Soper will be allowed to play:
Just had word from Tom Allard: Indonesia has relented to allow preferred religious counsel to be with Bali9 pair in final hours. BUT (1/2)
— Josephine Tovey (@Jo_Tovey) April 28, 2015
Not to actually witness their executions as requested. Post up on our live updates page shortly. (2/2)
— Josephine Tovey (@Jo_Tovey) April 28, 2015
There are reports coming through that Christine Buckingham and David Soper, the Christian ministers chosen by Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to comfort them in their last moments before the faced the firing squad, have arrived at Cilacap port.
The pair were originally told that they would not be able to see the ministers of their choice, but Channel 7’s Rob Scott says the Indonesian government has relented on that score.
Sukumaran’s mother, Raji, told the media earlier tonight that her son would be executed at midnight. It’s just gone 8pm local time.
Christie Buckingham has just arrived at Chilacap port - looks destined to be with Sukumaran during his final hours. @7NewsPerth
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
Indonesia has relented & allowed the spiritual advisors nominated by Chan & Sukumaran to be with them in their final hours. @7NewsPerth
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
The Australian and French governments have issued a joint statement with the European Union appealing for President Widodo to halt the planned execution.
The statement, reported in Fairfax Media via its Indonesian correspondent Jewel Topsfield, says:
The government of Australia, France and the European Union appeal to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to halt the planned execution. It is not too late to change your mind.
It is our hope that Indonesia can show forgiveness to 10 detainees. Forgiveness and rehabilitation are fundamental to the Indonesian judicial system as well as in our system.
In filing this petition, we ask Indonesia also reflect the impact on Indonesia’s position in a globalised world and an international reputation. We support Indonesia’s efforts to obtain forgiveness for its citizens abroad. Stopping this execution will help those efforts.
We strongly support the UN Secretary General’s statement, in which he calls upon Indonesia to refrain from carrying out executions and urge President Widodo to urgently consider declaring a moratorium on the death penalty in Indonesia.
We fully respect the sovereignty of Indonesia. But we are against the death penalty in our country and abroad. The execution will not give deterrent effect to drug trafficking or stop the other from becoming victims will abuse drugs. To execute these prisoners now will not achieve anything.
Updated
A law professor from the University of Indonesia, Arie Afriansya, has told ABC’s Lateline that there was “much debate” within the Indonesian government about its death penalty policy.
The message that the government wished to send ... is please don’t bring the drugs to Indonesia. That’s the message ... you can argue about the effectiveness of the death penalty. However, what the government wish to send a message, like I have stated before, is that we are in a very serious situation in dealing with the drug abuse. And one thing that the government need to do in a firm way is to execute those who are found guilty in drug dealings.
Updated
Myuran Sukumaran’s prison paintings have been one of the most poignant images of his and fellow Australian Andrew Chan’s long-running plea for mercy. In Comment is Free, The Guardian’s art critic, Jonathan Jones, argues that the paintings show the moral evil of the death penalty.
These works of art, just by existing, condemn the death penalty and all nations that uphold it, from Indonesia to the United States. In his self-portraits, Sukumaran shows the world he is an individual, a complex human being. If he is capable of crime – not that I am saying he is – he is also capable of creating sensitive artworks. That does not make him more deserving of pity than his fellow prisoners – it is right they all signed his final works – but simply illustrates the moral evil of the death penalty.
You can read the full piece here.
Angela Muxfeldt, a cousin of Brazilian man Rodrigo Gularte, says Gularte is “calm” ahead of his expected execution. Dina Indrasafi was there as she spoke to reporters in Cilacap and filed this update:
“Since I am here, three months, today is the day when Rodrigo is more calm,” Muxfeldt said.
“He is calm. He doesn’t want I cry and doesn’t believe execution will happen,” she said, visibly emotional.
Muxfeldt was accompanied with two activists defending Gularte’s case: Putri Karnesia from the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence and Ricky Gunawan from The People’s Legal Aid Body.
Updated
More from Dina Indrasafi in Cilicap:
Come sundown, military personnels and police officers ordered people who are not journalists or vendors to evacuate the area near the crossing to Nusa Kambangan. Previously, hundreds of locals were gathering in the area, some coming from further parts of Cilacap.
Attorney-General Prasetyo has told reporters in Indonesia that he had set the time for the execution, but will not release that time in order to prevent interference. According to The Jakarta Post, Prasetyo said he had “already set the date and even the hour”.
The report continues:
Prasetyo, however, declined to mention the execution time in detail for security and technical reasons and to ensure that the executions would occur smoothly.
Rumors were spreading in Cilacap and surrounding areas that the execution of the nine inmates would be conducted late on Tuesday night since the inmates’ relatives were already at the location, while coffins and crosses complete with a date of death had been prepared.
Prasetyo said the execution time was not announced to the public because, based on experience from a previous batch of executions, many people could try to intrude into the execution site for unclear reasons.
“I will not publish the execution time to avoid unwanted matters. The executions will be conducted this week,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
The Indonesian Attorney-General has reportedly confirmed that the execution of nine death row prisoners will go ahead.
This report from The Rappler:
Indonesian Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo has confirmed the execution of 9 drug convicts, including one from the Philippines, will proceed.
President Joko Widodo said “proceed according to the rules,” the attorney general told reporters, when asked about the results of a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, April 28.
The meeting was reportedly called after the president was informed of the surrender of Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter, Maria Kristina Sergio, in the Philippines. Sergio, along with two others, face illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and estafa charges.
“Don’t force us to cancel or postpone the executions. If we do, we will be perceived as weak,” Prasetyo said before the meeting began.
He added they were 100 percent ready to carry out the executions, which are expected to begin after midnight on Wednesday, April 29.
Updated
Lawyers for another for Brazillian man Rodrigo Gularte, one of the 10 facing execution tonight, have filed a last-minute legal challenge claiming procedural unfairness.
Putri Karnesia, from the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, says that Rodrigo’s lawyers have received a summons for a court hearing on May 6 and are meeting with a representative from the Attorney General’s office to argue that the execution should not be carried out while a legal challenge is pending.
This from Dina Indrasafi, reporting for The Guardian in Cilacap:
Angelita Muxfeldt, cousin of Rodrigo Gularte, the Brazilian facing death penalty in Indonesia, is filing a lawsuit against Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, a legal worker aid said. “It is because the president issued a presidential degree (Keppres) about clemency that contradicts the clemency law,” Ricky Gunawan from the People’s Legal Aid Body (LBH Masyarakat) said. “According to the clemency law, the sending of documents asking for clemency from the district court to the Supreme Court must be done within a certain time frame. And the sending was 24 days late. Furthermore, the convict should be notified of the supreme court sending documents about the president’s decision to refuse clemency within a certain time frame. That sending process was also 49 days late. Therefore, since there is a violation on the notification and sending of the documents, we are suing the state administration, the presidential decision refusing the request for clemency for Rodrigo Gularte.”
Ricky said that they are also requesting provincial demand to delay the implementation of the presidential decree (Keppres).
“Therefore, due to this demand, Rodrigo’s status is similar to that of French National Serge Atlaoui. He filed a suit against state administration and his execution is delayed.”
Ricky said that if the Attorney General goes ahead with the process, it is discriminating Gularte.
“Rodrigo deserves to be treated (for his mental health issues).he is not supposed to be imprisoned and executed.”
Updated
There are reports that President Widodo has called an emergency meeting about Filipina woman Mary Jane Veloso, who was convicted of heroin smuggling in 2010 and had been sentenced to face the firing squad tonight alongside Chan and Sukumaran. It comes after Maria Kristina Sergio, the woman who allegedly recruited Veloso, apparently handed herself into police in the Philippines.
According to the Rappler, the Philippine Department of Justice has also sent an “extremely urgent” letter to the Indonesian Attorney-General asking for a “suspension of execution of the death sentence”.
Updated
More from that 7.30 interview with Julie Bishop, courtesy of my colleague Lenore Taylor. Bishop said she believed the Australian government had done everything it could to appeal to the Indonesian government and only President Widodo could change the outcome.
I fear that the families and friend and lawyers of Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran have made their last visit to them. Short of a last-minute intervention by President Widodo I fear the very worst for our citizens. We have not yet been officially informed by the Indonesian government as to the timing of the proposed executions but given all we’ve seen today via the Indonesian media, I have to assume that the Indonesian government is determined to proceed with executing these two Australian citizens notwithstanding the fact that there is still a legal proceeding under way in the constitutional court and there are still judicial commissioned hearings into bribery allegations relating to the original trial. So short of an intervention from the president, I fear that this execution will proceed.”
Bishop said she spoke to the Indonesian foreign minister on Sunday and prime minister Tony Abbott had been in contact with President Widodo, but official requests had gone unanswered.
They have not responded to any of our requests and there are a number of outstanding requests to which we have still not received a response. I’m obviously very dismayed by what has gone on in recent weeks. I’m obviously deeply disturbed at some of the aspects of how this has been handled. And I think the ghastly process the family has been put through today just underscores how chaotic this has been. I’m very concerned for the family. They do deserve respect and they do deserve to have dignity shown to them at this time of unspeakable grief. But that doesn’t seem to have been extended to them at this time.
Updated
Foreign minister Julie Bishop has told ABC 7.30 that she has to assume the Indonesian government intends to go ahead with the planned executions, despite outstanding legal challenges.
Bishop: "They have not responded to any of our requests..I'm obviously very dismayed at what has gone on in recent weeks" #abc730
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) April 28, 2015
The families have been subjected to "ghastly" and chaotic ordeal today, says Bishop #abc730
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) April 28, 2015
Bishop: "Should these executions proceed.. of course there will have to be consequences" #abc730
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) April 28, 2015
Bishop: "We will continue to advocate for the death penalty not to be part of the laws in our region" #abc730
— Daniel Hurst (@danielhurstbne) April 28, 2015
Thorbjørn Jagland, secretary general of human rights body the Council of Europe, has issued a statement condemning the pending executions.
Jagland said:
The death penalty is a terrible injustice which can never be put right. I urge the Indonesian authorities to refrain from carrying out these executions, as a first step, and then to consider introducing a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to working towards abolition.
Calla Wahlquist here, taking over from Michael Safi. We’ll keep you updated throughout the night.
Sukumaran and Chan families speak
We’ve just heard from Chinthu Sukumaran, brother of Myuran, who spoke of behalf of his family after returning from Nusa Kambanang for what is expected to be the final time. He said:
We spent the last few hours with my brother. We didn’t have time. There was so many things to talk about. We did talk about the death penalty and he knows this is just a waste. He knows this is not going to solve anything with drugs. Drug trafficking will still be there. If these nine people die today, tomorrow, next week, next month, it is still not going to stop anything. I ask the president to please show mercy. Please don’t let my mum and my sister have to bury my brother. Please, I ask the Indonesian people to show mercy.
Brintha Sukumaran, Myuran’s sister, made her own emotional appeal:
Please don’t do this to my brother. Please, please Mr President, Joko Widodo, I beg you please. Please don’t take my brother from me.
Chinthu Sukumaran went on:
Myu has told us that he is going to be strong and him and Andrew will take care of the other seven people and he is worried for Mary Jane and her family as well. He just knows this is a waste. We still have hope right up until the last second that the president will see each of these people as individuals, as people with families that love them and show mercy.
We also heard from Sukumaran’s mother, Raji:
I won’t see my son again and they are going to take him tonight and shoot him and he is healthy and he is beautiful and he has a lot of compassion for other people. I am asking the government not to kill him, please president, please don’t kill him today. Please don’t. Call off the execution. Please don’t kill my son. Please don’t.
Andrew Chan’s brother, Michael, spoke on behalf of his family:
I saw today something that no other family should ever have to go to. Nine families inside a prison saying goodbye to their loved ones. Kids, mothers, cousins, brothers, sisters, you name it, it was all there. And to walk out of there and say goodbye for the last time - it’s torture. No family should go through that.
There has to be a moratorium on the death penalty, no family should endure it. Because now the family is going to have a grieving process for the rest of their life ... I just hope the president, somewhere in his heart, he can find the courage to show some mercy to these nine individuals and call this off, because it’s not too late. It’s up to him.
Updated
My colleague Monica Tan is still listening to Geoffrey Robertson in Martin Place in Sydney.
Geoffrey Robertson: Let's show #Bali9 men deaths are not in vain & their country is at least taking action that none will come after them.
— Monica Tan (@m_onicatan) April 28, 2015
Vigils are being held around the country right now, including Brisbane:
Small vigil in King George Square for Chan and Sukumaran. #Bali9 pic.twitter.com/vAEbZs3S9k
— Kristian Silva (@kristian_silva) April 28, 2015
And outside the Indonesian embassy in Canberra:
Canberra vigil outside Indonesian embassy pic.twitter.com/bYvDd8Qijr
— Lenore Taylor (@lenoretaylor) April 28, 2015
Updated
Veloso recruiter hands herself in
Late developments in the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Philippines woman who was found with more than 2kg of heroin in her suitcase in Yogjakarta in 2010.
First, a little backstory: Veloso claims in 2010 she was recruited to work as a maid in Malaysia, but upon arriving there, was re-directed to Yogjakarta instead. Upon arriving she was stopped and the drugs were found in her suitcase. She claims she was unknowingly used as a drug courier.
On Tuesday the woman who recruited Veloso for that job, Maria Kristina Sergio, “voluntarily surrendered” to police in the Philippines province of Nueva Ecija.
According to the Rappler, police chief inspector Avelina de Guzman said Sergio had surrendered to “seek assistance for reason that she has been receiving death threats”.
She was wanted on charges of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
From the Rappler:
Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto told reporters that the Indonesian government has been notified that Veloso’s alleged recruiter has surrendered.
“We were informed by Migrant Care about the news that there may be new evidence as the recruiter has surrendered. But of course, we have to confirm it first,” he said.
Could it save Veloso?
“Depending on the results of our confirmation and the implications of it on the legal process,” he said.
It’s worth noting that Sergio has maintained her innocence throughout the affair, including in TV interviews she gave earlier this year.
Updated
Here’s human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC, speaking at a vigil in Martin Place in Sydney for Myuran Sukumaran, Andrew Chan, and the seven others facing imminent execution.
Renowned human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson speaking at a vigil for the #Bali9 pair #mercycampaign @safimichael pic.twitter.com/IMGp5eJolU
— Monica Tan (@m_onicatan) April 28, 2015
Artist Ben Quilty is a close friend of both Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, and has strongly influenced the former’s artistic style. He posted this message on Facebook a little earlier:
Joko Widodo tonight you will kill two good men, my friends. I want you to know that you may take their freedom and their lives, you may rob their fellow inmates of the support and love that both men have offered for so long, you can turn off Myu’s imagination but you will never kill the memory of them. I have promised Myu and Andrew, their parents and their siblings, that I will fight against the death penalty for the rest of my life.
I can also assure you that Myu and Andrew will care for the other inmates you will execute tonight. The six men and one young woman from the Philippines, Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria will have two constant, calming and compassionate voices beside them right until the last second. Myuran will continue to translate your executioner’s words into English for Mary Jane Veloso and Andrew will calm and console. I know that before the sound of your guns the island will hear the comforting whisper of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
Mary Jane Veloso's last requests: the Jubilee song, durian, and her family
Rappler spent the day with the family of Mary Jane Veloso, a Philippines citizen who is among the prisoners expected to be executed within hours.
Her last requests were reportedly the lyrics to the Jubilee song, a durian, and to see her whole family one final time.
Here’s a grab:
It’s early Tuesday morning, April 28, and Maritess Veloso-Laurente is doing things she hoped she never would.
She’s making preparations for the wake of her sister, Mary Jane Veloso, who is due to be executed anytime after 5pm.
“I want a smiling picture of her from Kartini Day for the wake, but can we change the background? Put clouds? So she looks like she’s in heaven,” she said, showing me a photo of Mary Jane on her phone, taken the day she participated in women’s day celebrations.
Her sister, Maritess Veloso-Laurente, relayed Mary Jane’s message to her 12 and six-year-old sons below:
Updated
Here’s the Myuran Sukumaran painting that was brought over from Nusa Kambangan today, signed by all nine prisoners facing execution. It’s titled “Satu hati satu rasa didalam cinta” - One heart, one feeling in love.
Updated
Contrary to that previous post, Tony Spontana, a spokesman for the Indonesian attorney-general, says the prisoners have been given extra time, until 8pm local time, to spend with their families on Nusa Kambanang.
Reports in Cilacap also say the attorney-general, Muhammad Prasetyo, will hold a press conference after the killings are finished.
Attorney general spokesman says AG will hold press conference after executions #bali9
— Jewel Topsfield (@JewelTopsfield) April 28, 2015
However, his office is still declining to nominate when exactly the prisoners will be executed, now citing “security reasons”.
For security reasons, Attorney General's spokesperson says they would not confirm time for execution. More on Seven News at 6pm. #Bali9
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) April 28, 2015
Updated
Families set to return from Nusa Kambangan
It’s just hit 2pm in Cilacap, and the families of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan will be saying what they expect to be their final goodbyes to the men – though the execution time has yet to be officially announced.
They’ve said they will make a statement to media upon their return from Nusa Kambangan. Though, given the unedifying scenes this morning, we’ll have to see whether or not that happens.
An Indonesian lawyer for the men, Todung Mulya Lubis, who spent time with them on Tuesday morning said they remained upbeat.
“Myuran told me, thank you for believing in us and please fight for the abolition of the death penalty,” Lubis told reporters.
Updated
The ABC is now reporting that, as well as being denied their choice of spiritual counsellor, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have been denied any spiritual support whatsoever in the final three minutes before they face the firing squad.
It is customary, according to the macabre regulations surrounding executions in Indonesia, for condemned prisoners to be accompanied by a spiritual adviser of their chosen faith in those last minutes. The adviser also has the option of actually witnessing the shooting.
The ABC’s report is unconfirmed, and it’s unclear about whether the seven other prisoners facing death tonight have been denied the same right.
BREAKING: Chan and Sukumaran have been denied the right to spiritual support in the final moments before execution.
— George Roberts (@George_Roberts) April 28, 2015
Updated
According to the Rappler, Philippines president Benigno Aquino is still trying to find a way to spare Mary Jane Veloso, the 30-year-old mother of two who could face firing squad in as little as eight hours.
President Aquino calls Indonesian Foreign minster, proposes to keep #MaryJane alive and make her a witness vs drug syndicate via @jetdsantos
— Rappler Indonesia (@RapplerID) April 28, 2015
The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, is said to be sympathetic to Veloso’s case, but has refused to grant her clemency.
Even as the hours in the official notice period whittle down, appeals on behalf of the nine condemned prisoners continue to be lodged.
Lawyers for Rodrigo Gularte, a Brazilian man arrested in 2004 for importing cocaine, have filed a last-minute appeal in the administrative court to save his life, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Gularte is said to suffer from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, factors his lawyer says were not raised in his trial.
The execution of another Brazilian in January led the country withdraw its ambassador from Jakarta and to refuse to accept credentials for Indonesia’s new ambassador to Brasilia.
In a statement, the Brazilian Embassy said it was “unacceptable” that Gularte was facing execution. “Nothing will be gained in the fight against drugs through this clearly inhumane act in the light of Indonesia’s own laws and international laws,” the statement said.
#Indonesia set to execute #Brazil citizen #RodrigoGularte despite #bipolardisorder diagnosis http://t.co/AbRtHZMX5e pic.twitter.com/G7tDiMdWCn
— Phelim Kine 林海 (@PhelimKine) April 27, 2015
Updated
This is Michael Safi taking over from Claire Phipps.
The former Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has just lent his voice to the many calling for Joko Widodo to show clemency to the two Australians facing imminent executions.
As a long-standing friend of Indonesia with a deep affection for its people, I add my voice respectfully requesting this act of clemency.
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) April 28, 2015
As a life-long opponent of capital punishment, the truth is it achieves nothing but the further destruction of life.
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) April 28, 2015
Updated
Indonesian officials have brought out from Nusa Kambangan prison the final painting by Myuran Sukumaran signed by all nine of the prisoners who have been condemned to die.
Myuran Sukumaran's final paintings - blood and a heart - signed by all 9 who will dir tonight #Bali9 @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/QdN8ghDJru
— Cindy Wockner (@CindyWockner) April 28, 2015
Updated
Australian A-G: 'Indonesia should stay the executions'
George Brandis, Australia’s attorney-general, has called on his Indonesian counterpart to delay the executions until at least after the hearing before the constitutional court on 12 May:
On 25 April 2015, I wrote again to Indonesian attorney general Prasetyo regarding the cases of the two Australian men facing the death penalty, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. This was the third occasion on which I have appealed to the Indonesian attorney general.
I drew to his attention that proceedings are still underway in both the Indonesian constitutional court and the Indonesian judicial commission that are relevant to Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran.
These proceedings raise serious questions regarding the integrity of the two men’s initial sentence and the clemency process. It is important that these actions are heard in full before any further steps are taken.
A preliminary hearing of the constitutional court has been scheduled for 12 May to hear the application made by the two men.
I also understand that the judicial commission intends to interview the two men in relation to its investigation into bribery allegations in the original trial.
Respectfully, the Australian government calls on the president and attorney general of Indonesia to stay the executions until the constitutional court and judicial commission proceedings are completed.
It would be a terrible outcome if rulings or findings in either of these proceedings called into question executions which have already been implemented and are irrevocable.
Julie Bishop, the Australian foreign affairs minister, says the government is continuing to press the Indonesian authorities to halt the executions:
While they are still alive, there is still hope and I will continue to advocate all throughout today.
We will continue because both men have been rehabilitated.
Nothing will be achieved and much will be lost if these executions go ahead.
The Philippines department of foreign affairs (DFA) has been briefing reporters about what it says is the imminent execution of Mary Jane Veloso:
#Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose to hold media briefing about #MaryJane Veloso's case @rapplerdotcom
— Paterno Esmaquel II (@paterno_II) April 28, 2015
DFA: The family was once again able to visit #MaryJane today, and yesterday they were able to visit Mary Jane on the island @rapplerdotcom
— Paterno Esmaquel II (@paterno_II) April 28, 2015
DFA: The family was once again able to visit #MaryJane today, and yesterday they were able to visit Mary Jane on the island @rapplerdotcom
— Paterno Esmaquel II (@paterno_II) April 28, 2015
DFA: Today we will be monitoring the situation, e.g. on the specific time... Hopefully it's not too late @rapplerdotcom #MaryJane
— Paterno Esmaquel II (@paterno_II) April 28, 2015
DFA when asked if diplomatic approach will still work: "Mukhang hindi na" (Perhaps no) @rapplerdotcom #MaryJane
— Paterno Esmaquel II (@paterno_II) April 28, 2015
Updated
The executioner's story
In March, the Guardian spoken to a police officer who has been part of the firing squad on Nusa Kambangan. He told my colleague Kate Lamb about his role:
The mental burden is heavier for the officers that are responsible for handling the prisoners rather than shooting them.
Because those officers are involved in picking them up, and tying their hands together, until they are gone.
A wing of the Indonesian police corps known as the Mobile Brigade (“Brimob”) carries out the executions on top of its regular duties. They are not full-time executioners but special police officers assigned to the job. They are paid less than $100 on top of their existing salary to carry out their grim task.
I don’t make conversation with the prisoners. I treat them like they are a member of my own family.
I say only: ‘I’m sorry, I am just doing the job.’
Of being part of the firing squad, the officer describes the experience with detachment:
We just come in, grab the weapon, shoot, and wait for the dying to finish. Once the ‘bam’ of the gun we wait 10 minutes, if the doctor pronounces him dead then we return, that’s about it.
It doesn’t take more than five minutes to be over.
They go limp directly, because there is no life.
The officer said he sees his role as simply doing his duty:
I am bound by my oath as a soldier. The prisoner violated the law and we are carrying out a command. We are just the executors. The question of whether it is sin or not is up to God.
As well as vigils in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines – see here for more on those – there is a demonstration today in Hong Kong in support of Mary Jane Veloso:
Rally in front of Consulate General of Indonesia in Hong Kong to appeal to Pres. Jokowi to #SaveMaryJaneVeloso pic.twitter.com/4HjA4hCSqG
— Eman Villanueva (@emancv) April 28, 2015
The Mercy Campaign has confirmed that human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC will speak at tonight’s vigil in Sydney.
What happens next
Indonesian authorities have not yet confirmed the timing of the executions.
But the 72 hours’ notice given at the weekend to the nine prisoners suggest they could take place as soon as midnight tonight, Jakarta time (3am AEST, 6pm BST).
Ambulances carrying nine coffins prepared for the prisoners have been transported to the island prison.
The prisoners, including Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, are currently spending time with their families at Nusa Kambangan prison. Their families have been told that they must leave by 2pm local time (5pm AEST).
The families will return to the port at Cilacap and might make a statement to reporters there.
The prisoners would then, according to Indonesia’s attorney general, spend time in isolation cells.
They will be assigned religious counsellors, according to their faith, by the authorities, to comfort them in their final hours. Sukumaran had asked for pastor Christie Buckingham to be with him, and Chan for minister Dave Soper, but this has not been allowed.
Around midnight, it is expected that the prisoners will be moved from their cells to a clearing. Their hands and feet will be bound.
They will be placed in front of individual posts and given the option of sitting, kneeling or standing, and offered a blindfold. A friend of Sukumaran has said he intends to refuse the blindfold.
The prisoners are then permitted a final three minutes with a religious counsellor.
The police commander draws a black mark on the inmate’s clothing over the heart. Twelve police marksmen then fire on a command.
Updated
Families make distressing journey to Nusa Kambangan
The Chan and Sukumaran families have arrived in Cilacap port and had to be pushed through a heavy media pack by Indonesian police.
Myuran Sukumaran’s sister, Brintha, was carried by her father Sam through the throng of waiting media.
All of the family members, including mother Raji and brother Chinthu were visibly distressed.
The media pack surged around the family as police tried to clear a path.
The Sukumaran family, along with the relatives and friends of Andrew Chan, who arrived soon after, were heading to the port office before making the trip to the Nusa Kambangan island prison to visit the men.
Chan and Sukumaran are facing their final hours with their families ahead of their expected executions.
If the plan goes ahead, the families will have to say their final goodbyes and leave the island at 2pm (5pm AEST).
The men will then spend the remaining hours to midnight with their spiritual counsellors before facing an Indonesian firing squad.
It was a traumatic beginning for the family members to their last goodbyes with the men, who are set to be executed within hours.
Screaming and crying was heard from the office once they finally got inside.
An Australian journalist was bitten by a police dog in the melée.
The families were due to make a statement before travelling to the prison island but have cancelled it.
Twelve ambulances later arrived at Cilacap port, some with coffins in the back and others empty.
Updated
Confirmation that Indonesian authorities will not allow the Australian men to have their chosen pastors with them at the point of execution. Chan and Sukumaran had been told they could have the two Christian ministers, Christie Buckingham and David Soper, to comfort them.
Now the Indonesian attorney-general’s office says it will appoint its own religious counsellors to attend the execution.
The girlfriend of Raheem Agbaje Salami (also known as Jamiu Owolabi Abashin), one of the Nigerian prisoners facing execution and a cellmate of the Bali Nine pair on Nusa Kambangan, has shared this letter to President Widodo with reporters at the ferry port in Cilicap.
The letter was reportedly confiscated by military officials shortly afterwards.
Letter from Nigerian Raheem Agbaje Salami's girlfriend begging president for mercy #bali9 pic.twitter.com/LMrVaKPf7Z
— Jewel Topsfield (@JewelTopsfield) April 28, 2015
Reporters at the scene in Cilicap say ambulances carrying the coffins that have been prepared for the prisoners have now arrived at the ferry terminal to be transported across to Nusa Kambangan.
Australian men 'denied Christian pastor' by authorities
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Indonesian authorities have refused a request by Chan and Sukumaran to have their pastor with them at their execution.
It says Michael Chan, Andrew’s brother, told them via text message:
Their last bit of dignity has been denied.
It had been understood that two Christian ministers, Christie Buckingham and David Soper, would be able to attend the execution and comfort the men.
More vigils are due to be held this evening ahead of the executions that could take place as early as tonight.
Here are some of the events I am aware of; please do share details of more below the line or tweet me with information @Claire_Phipps. All times are local.
The Mercy Campaign is holding a vigil in Sydney this evening from 6pm, in Martin Place, in the amphitheatre located between Pitt and Castlereagh streets.
A rally outside the Indonesian embassy in Canberra is due to start at 4.30pm.
In Perth, the Wesley Uniting Church says it will hold a candle-lit vigil from 7pm “for Andrew and Myuran and the other prisoners who will be executed”.
Edit 12.41 AEST:
Jesuit Social Services are holding a vigil now, until 9pm, at St Ignatius church, Richmond, Melbourne.
With thanks to @mariemcinerney.
Updated
Vigils held in Australia, Indonesia, Philippines
News of the vigils held in Australia on Monday have reached Indonesia – this is the front of today’s Jakarta Post:
To everyone who purchased a Flower of Hope, you did this: #KeepHopeAlive on front page of @JakPost. pic.twitter.com/Pq6lFMu2TC
— Amnesty Australia (@amnestyOz) April 28, 2015
Vigils and rallies took place in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne on Monday. (Do let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @Claire_Phipps if you know of others or have images to share.)
There were also vigils in support of Mary Jane Veloso, in her home country of the Philippines and in Indonesia:
Awful reports are coming in from Indonesia, where the families of the Bali Nine pair have had to fight their way through a scrum of media and onlookers:
Crazy scenes at port. Sukumaran's sister collapses as family trapped in hideous media scrum. #Bali9
— Jewel Topsfield (@JewelTopsfield) April 28, 2015
One of male Sukumaran family members wide eyed screaming in fear as they arrive at port #bali9
— Jewel Topsfield (@JewelTopsfield) April 28, 2015
Incredibly distressing watching Sukumaran's mother crying as she walks to port to visit for last time. @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/nFF60FKuzY
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
Families arrive for visit
The families of Chan and Sukumaran have been in Indonesia, to push for a last-minute act of clemency and to spend what they hope will not be their final time with the two men.
The families have just arrived at the ferry port now to travel to see their loved ones. They have been told that they must say goodbye at 2pm Jakarta time (5pm AEST).
Chan and Sukumaran families arrive at port for last visit with men before executions. @7NewsSydney @7NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/GTIbtQVBVZ
— Rob Scott (@Rob7Scott) April 28, 2015
On Monday, Andrew Chan married his Indonesian girlfriend, Febyanti Herewila, in a ceremony on Kambangan island. His brother Michael Chan said:
We’ve had a special day today. We’ve celebrated with some family and close friends.
Hopefully the president will show some compassion, some mercy, so these two young people can carry on with their lives. It’s in the president’s hands.
Chan met his future wife several years ago when Herewila, a pastor, began helping prisoners in the jail where he was imprisoned.
Filipina prisoner Mary Jane Veloso has been visited by her two sons, who are aged six and 12.
Veloso’s elder sister, Marites Veloso-Laurente, told the AFP news agency:
She tried to explain again: ‘If Mumma does not go home, just think Mumma is in heaven.’
A friend of Sukumaran has told Sydney’s 2GB Radio that he will refuse to wear a blindfold when he goes before the firing squad, and will choose to look his executioners in the eye.
Ben Quilty, an Australian artist who has helped Sukumaran learn to paint while in prison, said:
Myuran always said to me that he would never take this lying down; that he would stare them down, that no one would cover his eyes, that he would face it with dignity.
He will face it with strength and dignity, I know that, I know that about him, because he won’t want his mother to think he’s a weeping mess at the end. He’ll want his mum to think that he’s brave and strong and dignified and she should be proud of the man that he’s become.
He always said to me that he’s made terrible mistakes … I think he’s forgiven himself for the horror of what he did, the crime that he did, but he has never been able to forgive himself for what he’s put his mum through and his little sister and his little brother.
I’ve taken the quotes from the Sydney Morning Herald report, which you can read in full here.
The court hearing on 12 May
There was confusion in Australia on Monday night, after ABC’s QandA broke off mid-programme to say that Chan and Sukumaran had been given a date for a hearing in front of Indonesia’s constitutional court on 12 May.
Hopes were raised that this could mean a delay to this week’s planned executions.
But such optimism was short-lived as it was confirmed that the constitutional court has no power to push back the timing of the executions.
The Herald Sun has a good explainer here of last night’s claims and counter-claims.
The May hearing will consider how President Widodo applied the clemency law. But Indonesia has said that all legal avenues that might halt or delay the executions of the Bali Nine pair have been exhausted.
Reporters in Indonesia say that the entrance to the ferry dock to Nusa Kambangan, where the executions will take place, are being heavily guarded.
Journalists moved away from fence and dogs brought out #Bali9 @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/q6jHwfYyPv
— Dan Bourchier (@Dan_Bourchier) April 28, 2015
A short film put together by high-profile Australians calling on prime minister Tony Abbott to do more to “save our boys” has been taken down from the video-hosting site Vimeo after complaints that it was politicising the clemency campaign.
In the video, actor Brendan Cowell says:
Tony, if you had any courage and compassion, you’d get over to Indonesia and bring these two boys home.
Show some balls.
Others appearing include Geoffrey Rush, Deborah Mailman and Guy Pearce.
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said Abbott had made great efforts on behalf of Chan and Sukumaran:
If there was any indication being in Indonesia would help, of course we would be there.
She said Abbott had spoken to Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president, to try to persuade him not to go ahead with the executions.
The Mercy Campaign, which has long acted in support of the two men, said it did not support the video.
Co-founder Brigid Delaney (also – disclaimer – a Guardian colleague) said:
It’s inconsistent with our message – our message that we’ve always had – which is that the only person who has the power to grant clemency for Myuran and Andrew is the Indonesian president.
We’re supportive of the efforts of the Australian government in advocating on the boys’ behalf.
The @MercyCampaign had nothing to do w the "Save Our Boys" video & doesn't endorse it. Widodo is the only one who can save the guys #bali9
— Brigid Delaney (@BrigidWD) April 27, 2015
Boxer Manny Pacquiao, who is also a Philippines congressman, has issued a plea for clemency on behalf of Mary Jane Veloso, who faces execution within hours.
Pacquiao told GMA News TV from Los Angeles, where he is currently training:
I am begging and knocking at your kind heart that your excellency grant executive clemency to her by sparing her life and saving her from execution.
On May 2, I will be fighting in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Floyd Mayweather, which is considered the fight of the century. It will be a great morale booster if, in my own little way, I can save a life.
The 10 people facing execution
Indonesian authorities have signalled their intention to execute several prisoners on death row for drugs offences this week. On Sunday, nine coffins were prepared in Central Java and sent to Nusa Kambangan, the island where prisoners are put to death. Chan and Sukumaran were transferred to the island in March.
Nine prisoners, including the Australian men, were given 72 hours’ notice of their imminent execution at the weekend.
A tenth, Serge Atlaoui, from France, was due to be executed this week, but his sentence has been delayed pending a legal challenge. He was arrested for working in a factory used to produce ecstasy. He claims he was working as a welder and was unaware of the illegal activity.
The other prisoners expected to face the firing squad this week include:
- Zainal Abidin, an Indonesian, who was moved to Nusa Kambangan in preparation for execution despite still having an appeal due to be heard by the courts. He was convicted of being the ringleader of a plan to sell marijuana, which he denies.
- Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina woman. She has appealed against her death sentence, with her supporters saying she was duped into bringing heroin into the country. She has been visited this week by her two sons, aged six and 12.
-
Raheem Agbaje Salami (also known as Jamiu Owolabi Abashin), Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise and Okwuduli Oyatanze, all from Nigeria. Each was – separately – arrested for acting as a drugs mule, carrying drugs through Indonesia, two of them inside their bodies.
- Martin Anderson, said to be from Ghana, although other reports say he is in fact Nigerian. He was arrested in 2003 in Jakarta with 1.8 oz (about 50g) of heroin.
- Rodrigo Gularte, from Brazil. His family have appealed for clemency, saying he is mentally unwell. He was convicted of attempting to smuggle cocaine hidden inside surf boards.
This New York Times interactive has more details on each of the condemned prisoners.
Opening summary
Please note: this live blog is now finished. Click here to find the latest updates.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australian men convicted in 2006 of running a drug smuggling operation from Bali, are expected to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia within hours.
The two were given 72 hours’ notice of their impending death sentence on Saturday, after all avenues of appeal were exhausted. Their families have reportedly been told that they should say their goodbyes by Tuesday 2pm Jakarta time (5pm AEST).
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop received a letter from her Indonesian counterpart on Monday night but it offered no hope of a reprieve for Chan and Sukumaran.
“They gave no indication that president [Joko] Widodo would change his mind and grant the clemency that we have sought,” Bishop told the Nine Network on Tuesday.
Bishop said she had not been given a date or time for the executions.
Ten people, nine of them foreigners, on Indonesia’s death row for drug offences, are expected to be executed this week. One is a woman, Mary Jane Veloso from the Philippines.
Sukumaran, 34, and Chan, 31, were the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” group of Australians convicted of conspiring to smuggle 8kg of heroin from the Indonesian island to Australia in 2005. The remaining seven members of the group were given life sentences.
Many who encountered the men during their time on death row say they were fully rehabilitated. Chan converted to Christianity, became a pastor, and ministered to his fellow inmates. Sukumaran became an accomplished painter.
At a 2010 judicial review of their sentences, the governor of Kerobokan prison, Bapak Siswanto, told the court: “Instinctively my spirit says, can’t he be pardoned? Can’t state officials show mercy?”
We will have updates on this live blog as more news emerges from Indonesia, and reaction from across the world.
For the background to this story, read our report: how a decade of turmoil for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran came to a gruesome end.
Updated
