[Steve]

Eight prisoners convicted of drug offences in Indonesia have been executed by firing squad, according to local media.

Australians Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, were put to death at Besi prison on the island of Nusakambangan early on Wednesday local time.

Chan's brother Michael said on Twitter: "I have just lost a Courageous brother to a flawed Indonesian legal system. I miss you already. RIP my Little Brother."

The other prisoners were Nigerians Martin Anderson, Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Raheem Agbaje Salami, Okwudily Oyantze, Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte and Indonesian Zaenal Abidin.

Australia says it will recall its ambassador to Indonesia in response.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: "We respect Indonesia's sovereignty but we do deplore what's been done and this cannot be simply business as usual.

"For that reason, once all the courtesies have been extended to the Chan and Sukumaran families our ambassador will be withdrawn for consultations."

Filipina prisoner Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso was spared the death penalty after being granted a last-minute reprieve.

Veloso, a mother-of-two, was arrested in 2010 after she arrived in Indonesia with 2.6kg of heroin hidden in her suitcase.



Indonesia's attorney general Muhammad Prasetyo confirmed Veloso's death penalty had been delayed.

It is understood the delay came in response to a request from Manila after a drug courier gave herself up to police in the Philippines on Tuesday.

The eight death penalties were carried out after Jakarta rejected last-ditch pleas from the prisoners' families and the international community.

The proposed death sentences were condemned by the United Nations, and have caused diplomatic tensions between Australia and Indonesia.

Security was tight at the prison on the island off the Central Java coast where the executions took place.

Officials said the prisoners were to be given the choice to stand, kneel or sit before the firing squad, and to be blindfolded.

Twelve marksmen were assigned to fire at the heart of each prisoner - but only three would have live ammunition.

Authorities say this is so that the executioner remains unidentified.



Chan and Sukumaran were arrested on the holiday island of Bali in 2005 for trying to smuggle 8kg of heroin to Australia.

They were convicted for being the ringleaders of a group of Australian heroin traffickers known as the Bali Nine.

Family members paid their final visit to the prisoners earlier today and wailed in grief as empty white coffins arrived at Besi prison.

Relatives of Sukumaran and Chan cried as they headed to the island, with one relative collapsing.



http://news.sky.com/story/1473963/ei...y-firing-squad

[niknik]

That's fucked up. At the same time, spending 20 years in a Indonesian prison might be worse.

[Mr Poo]

Being killed for drug offences has got to be one of the stupidest things I've heard of a government doing..

[CrunchyCripple]

Poor, poor heroin smugglers. Knowing what they were doing was punishable by death and still doing it.

May this be a lesson to future smugglers - be more cautious when choosing a destination.

[Jerdipski]

As an Australian I am appalled by the corruption of the Indonesian judicial system & the way the prisoners & their families have been treated.. By the way the woman in the bottom photo is a British Grandmother on death row - she wasn't executed this time..

[goober]

Originally Posted by CrunchyCripple ↗

Poor, poor heroin smugglers. Knowing what they were doing was punishable by death and still doing it.

When was the death penalty ever thought to be a deterrent?

[Nite]

Originally Posted by Mr Poo ↗

Being killed for drug offences has got to be one of the stupidest things I've heard of a government doing..

It's amazing how much coverage this has received compared to those executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes like being raped. I mean adultery.
I guess the men who went to the firing squad didn't come from countries with enough leverage on Indonesia.
It is what it is though you are truly pushing your luck trafficking drugs anywhere in South East Asia

[CrunchyCripple]

Originally Posted by goober ↗

When was the death penalty ever thought to be a deterrent?

We'll, problem solves itself then. The smugglers don't give a fuck, so why should we?

I wonder how many lives have been destroyed by the heroin they've brought in?

It's the users choice to use and potentially o.d.
Just as it's the smugglers choice to smuggle and be executed for it. Freedom of choice.
They're just sad because they were made to sit around for years and think about what they've done.

Too bad, so sad.

[K9Grip]

Originally Posted by Nite ↗

It's amazing how much coverage this has received compared to those executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes like being raped. I mean adultery.
I guess the men who went to the firing squad didn't come from countries with enough leverage on Indonesia.
It is what it is though you are truly pushing your luck trafficking drugs anywhere in South East Asia

I think Mary Jane was actually working in Dubai prior to her arrest and she came back after almost being raped.


I have issues with a lot of what happened with these guys and the ones executed in Jan. 2015.


The two American twats that murdered the girls millionaire mother got 10 and 18 years. The pockets of the judges and prosecutors are overflowing as I type this. Had the Aussies paid the $150k do you think they'd still be here?

[Nickola]

Originally Posted by K9Grip ↗

I think Mary Jane was actually working in Dubai prior to her arrest and she came back after almost being raped.


I have issues with a lot of what happened with these guys and the ones executed in Jan. 2015.


The two American twats that murdered the girls millionaire mother got 10 and 18 years. The pockets of the judges and prosecutors are overflowing as I type this. Had the Aussies paid the $150k do you think they'd still be here?

This is why I don't agree with the DP, As well as the fact it's not a deterrent to crime.