London-born Myuran Sukumaran, 34, and Andrew Chan, 31, were among eight members of the so-called ‘Bali Nine’ to be executed in the jungle as a 10-year legal process finally reached its gruesome conclusion. A Filipino woman was given a last-minute stay of execution.
The eight men were dressed in white suits and shot just after midnight on a prison island. They reportedly sang ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Bless the Lord, O My Soul’, and refused to wear blindfolds.
Australian prime minister Tony Abbott condemned the “cruel and unnecessary” executions of the pair, who were said to have expressed contrition and to have been completely rehabilitated as model prisoners during their decade in prison.
“We respect Indonesia’s sovereignty but we do deplore what’s been done and this cannot be simply business as usual,” said Mr Abbott. “I absolutely understand people’s anger. This is a very important relationship between Australia and Indonesia, but it has suffered as a result of what’s been done over the last few hours.”
The executions follow last-ditch appeals for clemency by lawyers, families and political leaders, and have drawn international condemnation. The deaths mark the second round of executions since Indonesia resumed killing drug smugglers in January. Dozens of others face possible execution.
Sukumaran and Chan were the ringleaders of a gang which attempted to smuggle around 18lb of heroin worth A$4m to Australia. They were convicted in 2005, having been caught, ironically, thanks to a tip-off from the Australian federal police.
