Jakarta court rejects Australians' death row appeals
February 24, 2015
The administrative court in Jakarta on Tuesday rejected an appeal for clemency by Myuran Sukumaran 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, after President Joko Widodo denied their pleas.
"Clemency is the prerogative of the president... the state administrative court has no right to rule on the challenge," presiding Judge Hendro Puspito said as he handed down the ruling rejecting Sukumaran's application for clemency. He similarly rejected Chan's appeal.
The defense team representing the two Australians said they intended to appeal Tuesday's verdict.
"We plan to appeal today's court decision. We have two weeks to file an appeal. If the law is respected, the execution should be postponed until the legal process is over," defense layer Todung Mulya Lubis said.
This was just the latest in a series of last-ditch attempts launched by their lawyers to save the two men, who were arrested in 2005 and convicted in February 2006 for plotting to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.
'Sovereign right'
Shortly after the court rejected the Australians' appeals for clemency, the president warned against foreign governments trying to intervene on behalf of any of the 11 foreigners on death row in Indonesia.
"The first thing I need to say firmly is that there shouldn't be any intervention towards the death penalty because it is our sovereign right to exercise our law," President Widodo said.
The looming executions have raised tensions between Jakarta and Canberra, with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott suggesting last week that Indonesia should not forget the significant aid his country had provided to Indonesia following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
pfd/rc (AFP, Reuters)