KEEP HOPE ALIVE - LAST RITES?

KEEP HOPE ALIVE: LAST RITES?

Amnesty International is calling for an immediate and urgent halt to plans to execute a group of prisoners in Indonesia, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, following confirmation of 72 hours notice until the state sanctioned killings take place.

Executions threatening Indonesia-Australia relations

“If these executions go ahead, they'll be a serious stain on Indonesia's human rights record and Joko Widodo’s Presidency and damage relations between Indonesia and its friends, including Australia,” said Diana Sayed, Human Rights Lawyer and Amnesty International Australia Crisis Campaigner.

“Hundreds of thousands of people from right around Australia and the world have continued to respectfully call for a halt to the executions and mercy for those on death row.

"Despite their pleas, it’s deeply troubling the Indonesian government is apparently determined to push ahead with more killings, despite showing promise to move away from the death penalty until executions resumed in 2013.”

Failure to genuinely consider clemency applications

“We urge President Widodo to change course immediately, before his early human rights record is tarnished further.

“The failure of President Joko Widodo to genuinely consider clemency applications on a case-by-case basis, contrary to the Indonesian Constitution, also raises serious questions about the rule of law in Indonesia.

Call for abolition of the death penalty

“Despite the desperateness of this situation, past experience shows us there’s still time to stop these executions and end the death penalty in Indonesia altogether.

“Amnesty International has been campaigning to end the death penalty for more than 30 years. When we first started, only 16 countries were abolitionist.

“Now that number stands at 140 countries that have stopped using the death penalty either in law or practice.

“We strongly urge Indonesia show strong leadership by granting Andrew, Myuran and all prisoners on death row mercy, ending the death penalty and joining the global trend moving away from state-sanctioned killings,” Diana Sayed urged.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO APPEAL TO PRESIDENT WIDODO FOR MERCY, PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW TO EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT:

http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/36419/