FEATURED POST

Unveiling Singapore’s Death Penalty Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Public Opinion and Deterrent Claims

Image
While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed.

Bali Nine duo to be moved to execution site

Kerobokan prison, Bali, Indonesia (Photo: Daily Mail)
Two Australian drug-smugglers facing the death penalty in Indonesia will be transferred on Wednesday to the island where they will be executed, authorities in Bali have confirmed.

The execution by firing squad of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, is expected soon after the transfer.

Australia's foreign minister said she would continue to press the Indonesian government for a stay of execution.

Indonesia has some of the toughest drug laws in the world.

"It [the transfer] is planned for tomorrow [Wednesday] afternoon. Everything is ready. We will use two planes for the convicts and security personnel," the head of the Bali High Court, Momock Bambang Samiarso, told journalists.

Chan and Sukumaran will be transferred from Kerobokan jail in Bali to maximum security prison facilities on Nusakambangan Island, off Java, where the execution will take place.

They will be accompanied by two other prisoners from the Bali jail, the Associated Press reported.

The pair - a 45-year-old Nigerian man and a 30-year-old woman from Spain - are also facing execution.

The four will be simultaneously executed along with six others from Nigeria, Brazil, France, Ghana and Indonesia, AP said.

Australia has mounted a sustained diplomatic campaign to try and stop the shootings going ahead.

"I will continue to contact counterpart ministers to press for a stay of execution," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Chan and Sukumaran were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005, but relatives and supporters have argued that they have been rehabilitated while in jail.

Lawyers for the two men said they were still attempting to mount a legal challenge but Mr Prasetyo said on Monday that any legal appeals were no longer valid following the earlier rejection of clemency by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

Source: BBC News, March 3, 2015


Bali nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to be transferred to Nusakambangan on Wednesday

Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will be transferred to the execution island of Nusakambanganon Wednesday, it has been announced.

Momock Bambang Samiarso, Bali's chief prosecutor and the man in charge of the transfer, made the announcement after meeting with police, military and other officials.

The two Australians, reformed drug smugglers, are aware they will be moved, said Kerobokan prison governor Sudjonggo. He said the duo had given some of their belongings to other members of the Bali nine syndicate and Sukumaran had told them to "be careful", or behave well, after he left.

The duo will be allowed to bring personal belongings with them, but their families will not be able to visit them on Wednesday, as preparations for the move will restrict access, Sudjonggo told Fairfax Media earlier.

Chan's brother Michael and Sukumaran's mother Raji visited the pair on Tuesday but left the penitentiary before news emerged of the timing of their transfer. Other family members are expected to come over from Australia soon. Families will be able to visit the two men on Nusakambangan.

As Sudjonggo spoke, they were being comforted by their lawyer, Julian McMahon.

The transfer will use two military transport planes, Mr Momock said. One will contain the Australians and their guards. The other will contain another contingent of security personnel.

He said the transfer would occur on Wednesday "siang", or day. The phrase usually denotes a time between 10am and 3pm.

Speaking later, Mr Mocock told reporters to "standby from the morning", meaning the transfer could happen even earlier.

The men are expected to be transported to Denpasar airport from the prison in armoured personnel vans, most likely the police's Barracuda vehicles.

Indonesian lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran have released a statement calling on the Attorney-General to refrain from executing the Australians or transferring them from Bali's Kerobokan jail while legal action is underway.

Pasir Putih "supermax" prison on Nusukambangan Island,
where Indonesia carried out previous executions.
The statement said the men had challenged the dismissal to their appeal in the Jakarta State Administrative Court on Monday.

Secondly, they had submitted a report to the Judicial Commission on February 13 alleging violations of judicial conduct and ethics.

This was based on information obtained by the men's former lawyer, Muhammad Rifan, who alleged the judges who sentenced Chan and Sukumaran to death offered a lighter sentence in exchange for money.

"Indonesian criminal law basically guarantees the rights of convicts to defend their legal rights," the statement said.

"Due to the ongoing legal recourse by Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan it would therefore be appropriate if the Attorney-General's office respects such legal recourse by refraining from carrying out the execution of sentence against Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, including transferring them from Kerobokan prison to the prison at Nusakambangan."

Click here to read the full article

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, March 3, 2015

Report an error, an omission: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com

Most Viewed (Last 7 Days)

California | San Quentin begins prison reform - but not for those on death row

Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of man who killed couple in 2006

Oklahoma | Death row inmate Michael DeWayne Smith denied stay of execution

Indonesia | Bali Prosecutors Seeking Death on Appeal

Ohio dad could still face death penalty in massacre of 3 sons after judge tosses confession

China | Former gaming executive sentenced to death in poisoning of billionaire Netflix producer

Iran | Couple hanged in the Central Prison of Tabriz