Execution dates announced for drug traffickers

balinews

The end has come for the Bali nine organisers and others on death row in Indonesia who have been told they will be executed on Tuesday night. Karim Utomo, a lawyer for one of the Nigerian prisoners facing the firing squad, said Andrew Chan was strong after being notified of his execution on Nusakambangan on Friday. The lawyer did not see the reaction of Myuran Sukumaran. "Each convict on death row was called in one by one, for between 30 minutes to one hour, it varied," Mr Utomo said. "My client (Nigerian Raheem Agbaje Salami) was notified of the day of the execution, it will be Tuesday night." The Indonesian government has not yet officially announced the date of the execution. However the Indonesia Migrant Worker Network said Filipina maid Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso had also received a letter on Saturday informing her the execution would be on April 28. "Both parents, older siblings and two of Mary Jane's children are in Cilacap," the network said. "They cried upon receiving the news. Mary Jane's father said he'll commit suicide if his daughter's shot." Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it was not too late for Indonesia to have a change of heart. "I again respectfully call on the President of Indonesia to reconsider his refusal to grant clemency," she said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo will fly to Malaysia on Sunday to attend the ASEAN summit, which runs from April 26 to 28. Evangelist preacher Matius Arif Mirdjaja, a former drug addict and prisoner in Bali's Kerobokan jail who was baptised by Chan, said Indonesia would be remembered as a nation that killed a pastor and an artist, not drug kingpins. "History will write that we are a nation that killed all the repented, a nation that loses empathy and compassion for people who have transformed their lives and helped others," he said. Their Australian lawyer Julian McMahon returned from Nusakambangan, where the men will be executed, with three self-portraits painted by Sukumaran. One painting, still wet and dated April 25, carried the haunting inscription: "The 72 hours just started." The second, dated April 24, was called "Strange Day". And the third, also dated April 25, said: "Our new prints: A bad sleep last night." The Indonesian Attorney-General's office has indicated it is waiting on Monday's Supreme Court decision on Indonesian marijuana trafficker Zainal Abidin before setting a date. The men's devastated families will now be allowed to visit them every day in their isolation cells on Nusakambangan before they are shot by a 12-man firing squad. Ms Bishop said she had spoken to Sukumaran's mother Raji on Friday and assured her the government would continue to seek clemency from Mr Joko for both men. A French man on death row with Chan and Sukumaran won a temporary reprieve from the firing squad but any hope for the nine others has disappeared. Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told Fairfax Media the French embassy was not among those summoned to discuss the imminent executions because Serge Atlaoui still had a legal case before the Administrative Court. Local undertaker Suhendro Putro told Fairfax Media police had asked him on Friday to prepare coffins but had not given him an indication of how many. "I hope it's less than 10," Mr Suhendro said. All of the felons except Atlaoui have been transferred to isolation cells in the high-security Besi prison on Nusakambangan ahead of the executions. Zainal Abidin's death already seems a fait accompli despite Monday's court ruling, with his family contacted by authorities on Friday to ask where and how they wanted his body buried. "It really upsets the family. It's as if they already know the outcome, that it's going to get rejected," said Zainal Abidin's lawyer, Ade Yuliawan. The Attorney-General's Office has repeatedly said it would wait for all legal processes to be exhausted because it wanted to execute the 10 drug felons simultaneously. Several prisoners besides Atlaoui have ongoing legal processes, including the Australians, Filipina maid Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, and Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, who is schizophrenic. But the Indonesian government insists they have no remaining channels of appeal. "We only sent notification to embassies whose nationals have exhausted their legal avenues," Mr Arrmanatha said. Lawyers for Veloso on Friday lodged a request for a second judicial review on the grounds she was "primarily a human trafficking victim in the first place, and therefore, must be protected". Her Indonesia lawyer Ismail Muhammad, who visited Veloso on the island on Saturday with her two young sons and other family members, said they didn't yet know whether it would be accepted by the Supreme Court. But the Foreign Ministry's Mr Arrmanatha said Indonesian law stated there could only be one judicial review. Lawyers for the Australians are challenging the clemency laws in the Constitutional Court and the Judicial Commission is investigating allegations the judges who sentenced Chan and Sukumaran to death offered bribes for lighter sentences. However, any ruling made on the country's clemency laws by the Constitutional Court would not be retrospective and the Attorney-General has made it clear the case would not prevent the executions from proceeding. Atlaoui, a welder, was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret laboratory producing ecstasy. He has always maintained he was innocent of drug charges and was simply installing equipment in what he thought was an acrylics factory. His lawyers lodged an appeal in the Administrative Court on April 23 and are waiting for a date. A spokeswoman said Atlaoui's wife, Sabine, had not been informed that he had been taken off the list for this batch of executions. A source close to his case said it would be a violation of the law if Atlaoui was executed before six others who were arrested at the acrylics factory at the same and had also been sentenced to death. "According to the law, people who are sentenced to death in one case must be executed together," she said. The Indonesian government held off executing Sukumaran in the first round of executions on January 18 this year because Chan had not yet received a response to his clemency plea. "Both parents, older siblings and two of Mary Jane's children are in Cilacap," the network said. "They cried upon receiving the news. Mary Jane's father said he'll commit suicide if his daughter's shot." Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it was not too late for Indonesia to have a change of heart. "I again respectfully call on the President of Indonesia to reconsider his refusal to grant clemency," she said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo will fly to Malaysia on Sunday to attend the ASEAN summit, which runs from April 26 to 28. Sabine Atlaoui, the wife of French man facing execution Serge Atlaoui holding their son Yasen Atlaoui, while they wait to visit him on Nusakambangan prison island. Sabine Atlaoui, the wife of French man facing execution Serge Atlaoui holding their son Yasen Atlaoui, while they wait to visit him on Nusakambangan prison island. Photo: Kate Geraghty Evangelist preacher Matius Arif Mirdjaja, a former drug addict and prisoner in Bali's Kerobokan jail who was baptised by Chan, said Indonesia would be remembered as a nation that killed a pastor and an artist, not drug kingpins. "History will write that we are a nation that killed all the repented, a nation that loses empathy and compassion for people who have transformed their lives and helped others," he said. Their Australian lawyer Julian McMahon returned from Nusakambangan, where the men will be executed, with three self-portraits painted by Sukumaran. One painting, still wet and dated April 25, carried the haunting inscription: "The 72 hours just started." The second, dated April 24, was called "Strange Day". And the third, also dated April 25, said: "Our new prints: A bad sleep last night." The Indonesian Attorney-General's office has indicated it is waiting on Monday's Supreme Court decision on Indonesian marijuana trafficker Zainal Abidin before setting a date. The men's devastated families will now be allowed to visit them every day in their isolation cells on Nusakambangan before they are shot by a 12-man firing squad. Ms Bishop said she had spoken to Sukumaran's mother Raji on Friday and assured her the government would continue to seek clemency from Mr Joko for both men. A French man on death row with Chan and Sukumaran won a temporary reprieve from the firing squad but any hope for the nine others has disappeared. Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told Fairfax Media the French embassy was not among those summoned to discuss the imminent executions because Serge Atlaoui still had a legal case before the Administrative Court. Local undertaker Suhendro Putro told Fairfax Media police had asked him on Friday to prepare coffins but had not given him an indication of how many. "I hope it's less than 10," Mr Suhendro said. All of the felons except Atlaoui have been transferred to isolation cells in the high-security Besi prison on Nusakambangan ahead of the executions. Zainal Abidin's death already seems a fait accompli despite Monday's court ruling, with his family contacted by authorities on Friday to ask where and how they wanted his body buried. "It really upsets the family. It's as if they already know the outcome, that it's going to get rejected," said Zainal Abidin's lawyer, Ade Yuliawan. The Attorney-General's Office has repeatedly said it would wait for all legal processes to be exhausted because it wanted to execute the 10 drug felons simultaneously. Several prisoners besides Atlaoui have ongoing legal processes, including the Australians, Filipina maid Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, and Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, who is schizophrenic. But the Indonesian government insists they have no remaining channels of appeal. "We only sent notification to embassies whose nationals have exhausted their legal avenues," Mr Arrmanatha said. Lawyers for Veloso on Friday lodged a request for a second judicial review on the grounds she was "primarily a human trafficking victim in the first place, and therefore, must be protected". Her Indonesia lawyer Ismail Muhammad, who visited Veloso on the island on Saturday with her two young sons and other family members, said they didn't yet know whether it would be accepted by the Supreme Court. But the Foreign Ministry's Mr Arrmanatha said Indonesian law stated there could only be one judicial review. Lawyers for the Australians are challenging the clemency laws in the Constitutional Court and the Judicial Commission is investigating allegations the judges who sentenced Chan and Sukumaran to death offered bribes for lighter sentences. However, any ruling made on the country's clemency laws by the Constitutional Court would not be retrospective and the Attorney-General has made it clear the case would not prevent the executions from proceeding. Atlaoui, a welder, was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret laboratory producing ecstasy. He has always maintained he was innocent of drug charges and was simply installing equipment in what he thought was an acrylics factory. His lawyers lodged an appeal in the Administrative Court on April 23 and are waiting for a date. A spokeswoman said Atlaoui's wife, Sabine, had not been informed that he had been taken off the list for this batch of executions. A source close to his case said it would be a violation of the law if Atlaoui was executed before six others who were arrested at the acrylics factory at the same and had also been sentenced to death. "According to the law, people who are sentenced to death in one case must be executed together," she said. The Indonesian government held off executing Sukumaran in the first round of executions on January 18 this year because Chan had not yet received a response to his clemency plea. Bali pair told the date of their execution

davita

The Frenchman Serge Atlaoui (51) just lost his last appeal yesterday.....according to news in Jakpost. He is now to be executed but that will not occur during Ramadan in respect of the Islamic Holy month which ends mid-July. The AGO spokesman said that around 60 convicts are on death row and for those with no ongoing legal process....it is more efficient to execute them all at once.

tintin

davita wroteThe Frenchman Serge Atlaoui (51) just lost his last appeal yesterday.....according to news in Jakpost. He is now to be executed but that will not occur during Ramadan in respect of the Islamic Holy month which ends mid-July. The AGO spokesman said that around 60 convicts are on death row and for those with no ongoing legal process....it is more efficient to execute them all at once.

Maybe the Indonesian Government should get some advice on using Zyklon B gas from old SS members, who are still alive somewhere in Germany. I hear it was very efficient!

hafri

Indonesia has its own laws and how too do things... Deal with it or stay home. Bad joke tintin...

Markit

Tin tin tell nursy to take away the keyboard. It's time for your colonic. [ATTACH]2454.vB[/ATTACH]

davita

Indonesia issues moratorium on executions....Indonesia announces moratorium on executions to fix its weak economy | The Mercury Another flip flop to add to the list?

spicyayam

Interesting the executions are somehow tied to the economic situation

davita

spicyayam wroteInteresting the executions are somehow tied to the economic situation

hehehe...I'm waiting for the deluge of imported drugs that President Widodo said would happen if he didn't control the situation with application of the death penalty. Maybe some drug lords got to him as their income was drying up....or maybe it wasn't a plausible argument in the first place and he [B]was[/B] appealing to the illiterate electorate as a man of action.