SYDNEY: Australia stepped up pressure on Indonesia Thursday to spare the lives of two drug smugglers facing the firing squad, with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warning their execution would be a grave injustice.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the Australian ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin drug smuggling gang, were arrested in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year.
The pair recently lost their final appeals to Indonesian President Joko Widodo for clemency despite arguing that they had rehabilitated themselves in prison. They could face the firing squad this month.
In an emotional speech in parliament, Bishop pleaded for their lives.
“This motion goes to the heart of what we believe will be a grave injustice against two Australian citizens facing execution in Indonesia,” she said, adding that the pair made “shocking mistakes” but deserved another chance.
“We are not understating the gravity of the nature of these crimes.
“Without doubt, Andrew and Myuran need to pay for their crimes with lengthy jail sentences but they should not need to pay with their lives.”