Bali might be a beautiful and picturesque place for tourists to visit but it imposes some very harsh and devastating sentences on those who break Indonesian law. In a somewhat desperate situation, it seems that a very small ray of hope may have been provided to Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the Bali Nine members facing death in Indonesia.
It appears that the Indonesian Judicial Commission has asked for further material in regards to Chan and Sukumaran’s lawyers’ claims about the validity of the judges who passed down the death sentence. Claims were put forward by the pairs’ initial lawyer, Muhammad Rifan, suggesting that there was political interference from Jakarta during the 2005 sentence and their current legal representation are therefore requesting an inquiry be made into the death sentence.
The penalty for trafficking narcotics in Indonesia is the death penalty, and up to 20 years imprisonment for marijuana offenses. As Chan and Sukumaran were identified as the ringleaders of the Bali Nine, they were sentenced to death. The remaining remembers are facing life in prison. The other notable Australian currently serving time for drug-related offenses in Indonesia is Schapelle Corby. Arrested in 2005, Corby is due for release in 2024 after a large amount of cannabis was found in her boogie board bag at Bali’s international airport.
We’re curious over here at Adult Press what you think about Indonesia’s harsh laws, and whether you think the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for narcotic-related offences. Do you think that life in prison would be a sufficient punishment? Let us know what you think!
