Abbott Makes Final Plea For Bali Nine Australians’ Lives

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has made a final appeal to the Indonesian president to spare the lives of convicted Australian drug traffickers Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, after the latter made a failed bid for clemency yesterday evening. 
Both now face execution by firing squad with only three days notice under President Joko Wododo’s hardline stance against drug offences, which saw six of a promised twenty convicts executed last Sunday. 
Abbott this afternoon released a statement describing both men as “reformed characters” deserving of mercy, while also reiterating the fact that he and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop were maintaining “every possible effort” to prevent Sukumaran and Chan being executed, and will continue to do so up until the eleventh hour:
“While Australia respects Indonesia’s sovereignty, we are asking that Indonesia reconsider its decision to execute two Australian citizens. Both men are reformed characters and both have helped to rehabilitate other prisoners. The prerogative of mercy should be extended to them. 

The foreign affairs minister and I have both made representations to our Indonesian counterparts and are continuing to make every possible effort through the most effective channels to stop Mr Sukumaran and Mr Chan being executed.”
Sukumaran and Chan’s lawyer plans to file an appeal for re-sentencing on the grounds that the two have been adequately rehabilitated over their ten year incarceration.

Photo by Jason Childs/Getty Images

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