Jakarta: An Indonesian court will rule Monday on the appeals of two Australian drug smugglers facing execution, a judge said, as their lawyers insisted they had done their best to save the men. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" trafficking gang, were sentenced to death in 2006 for trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.
They recently had pleas for clemency, typically a last chance to avoid the firing squad, rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has taken a hard line against traffickers. The men have mounted several legal bids to avoid the firing squad, and in the latest their lawyers challenged Widodo's decision to reject their mercy pleas, arguing that he failed to assess their rehabilitation or give reasons for his decision.
The Jakarta State Administrative Court rejected that bid in February, saying it had no authority to rule on the matter as granting clemency was the president's prerogative. The men's legal team is now appealing that decision. Wrapping up arguments in favour of the Australians Wednesday, lawyer Leonard Aritonang called on the judges to dismiss the initial verdict as the court did have the right to rule on clemency.
"We ask for the most just decision," he told the court.
However, government lawyer Rusdi Hadi Teguh insisted that the court's initial decision to dismiss the case should stand. Following the hearing, Aritonang told reporters that he did not want to predict what decision the court would make, but said he was optimistic.
"We did our best," he said.
After hearing the final arguments, presiding judge Ujang Abdullah said verdicts on the appeals would be handed down on Monday.
"Everyone has been given ample opportunity to present their evidence and also their conclusions," he said, adding that the judges would study the "arguments and evidence" before coming to a decision.
A court outside Jakarta was also due to hear the appeal of a French death row convict, Serge Atlaoui, on Wednesday. The Australians and the Frenchman are among a group of foreign convicts who recently lost their appeals for clemency and are expected to be put to death soon, despite mounting international pressure on Jakarta to halt the executions. Jakarta has not set a date for the executions, with authorities waiting for the outcome of several legal appeals.
