Bali Nine inmate Andrew Chan reportedly proposed to his longtime girlfriend last month after learning that his bid for clemency from Indonesian President Joko Widodo had been rejected.
The AAP are reporting that Chan, 31, met the affianced Febyanti Herewila while she was performing her duties as a prison pastor in 2012, and that they forged a connection over their mutual faith. Last month, Chan was ordained as a Christian minister officially accredited by the Australian Government after six years of theological study.
Febyanti has been quoted as saying: “I have never seen him as just a prisoner or someone who is on death row. I love him for who he is. And I see what he does for other people and that makes me love him more.”
Yesterday it was revealed that Chan had written his teenage self a letter in which he described how “I have missed weddings. I’ve missed funerals and the simple presence of my own family.”
“The hurt and pain – I don’t just put it on to myself. But the pain I put on my family is agonising. A simple touch, such as a hug, is not possible for a condemned man like me. I have nothing but an iron bar to hug rather than to be embraced by those I love and who I miss.”
On last night’s Q&A, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivered an eloquent, impassioned explanation of Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’s current situation, appealing for President Widodo to show the Australians the same mercy he would expect other countries to show Indonesians on death row.
Chan and Sukumaran will have their final appeal heard in a Jakarta court from Thursday this week.
Julie Bishop talks about continued pleas for clemency against death penalty for #Bali9 #QandA http://t.co/PReD083d7j
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) March 9, 2015
via AAP
