2 families were given a sliver of hope today. They know better than to count on it.

Executive Editor

February 26, 2015

Today, two families have been given a sliver of hope. They know better than to count on it.

Imagine knowing that millions of people want to kill your child.

Imagine knowing that it’s only a matter of time before they get their way.

Imagine knowing that there’s a finite amount of occasions that you will get to see and hold your child before one day they are taken from you and shot to death.

Myuran Sukumaran’s mother, Raji, arrives at Kerobokan Prison.

Imagine not knowing how many times that will be. Two? 10? 20?

One day you are told that tomorrow will be the last time. Imagine whether you could sleep that night. Imagine what would go through your mind as you lay awake.

And imagine that the next day, you were told, no, this is not the last time. There will be more. But we don’t know how many. One? Five? 10?

Imagine the unusual cruelty of that.

This is exactly what the families of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukarmaran are living through.

A sliver of hope, followed by crashing darkness, followed by a silver of hope.

Today, a new window has been cracked open as Prime Minister Tony Abbott told a press gaggle that Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo is “considering his position” after a direct phone call between the two leaders this morning.

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It’s news that will be cautiously welcomed by the supporters Andrew and Myuran, those who know and love them, and those who only know their names.

But the families dare not hope too hard. They have been here before.

Myuran Sukumaran, who has become an artist who run classes for inmates at Kerobokan.

It’s been 10 years, after all. 10 long years of hopes raised and dashed, of an unthinkable new normal for two suburban Sydney families, forever affected by the bad choices made by their sons.

Myuran’s parents, Raji and Sam, his brother Chinthu and sister Brintha, have been in Bali for a solid month. Visiting Kerobokan Prison as often as they are permitted, to sit and visit, to talk and pray and have their portraits painted by their artist son.

For Chan’s parents, it proved too much. Helen and Ken flew home last week, their frail health negatively affected by the stress and the climate and the conditions. They returned to Australia, leaving Andrew’s brother Michael behind to support and campaign for their son, with a close group of supporters.

They said goodbye with no idea of whether they would see their son alive again.

Imagine that.

Andrew Chan’s mother Helen, with his brother, Michael.

Yesterday, the families in Bali did something else that is almost impossible to imagine – they sat in front of TV cameras and begged for their sons’ lives.

“I am begging the president not to execute him,” Raji Sukumaran said. “To give him another chance, for him to stay in the prison and continue to do all the good things he is doing.”

You can watch the video here. The family’s statements begin at the 50-second mark. [POST continues after video].

Imagine the day you brought your baby home. Imagine all the things you thought would happen to them and for them.

You could never have imagined this.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are grown men. They are responsible for their actions. Their families are not.

And the hellish rollercoaster that they are on only serves to illustrate the unusual cruelty of the death penalty.

Andrew Chan. In prison, he has become a Christian pastor, who works with troubled young inmates.

It is not just. It is not retribution. It’s not a deterrent. It’s unthinkably cruel. A punishment that tortures not only the two intended criminals but has an unending ripple effect on everyone who cares for them.

It’s inhumane.

Which is why we are still daring to imagine mercy.

It’s not too late to do the same.

You can still pledge your support for mercy for these two men, here.

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Top Comments

Anon 10 years ago

Can I make a suggestion, whilst this blog and the similar ones like it may have some valid points, I personally suspect that the outraged approach that much of the public supporting these men may be actually be part of the problem. I'm no expert in international diplomacy or the Indonesian race, but I suspect that this outrage and anger directed at them may actually be making them angry and therefore less inclined to back down, also to back down in the face of such ferocious opposition may make them feel like they are losing face.
I think it may well have been a better approach to apologise, apologise, apologise then grovel, grovel, grovel. Eg "we think you have every right to do what you are doing, and we can completely understand why you sentenced them to death, but it does seem now that they rehabilitated somewhat and whilst you have every right to execute them perhaps you could reconsider as they do seem to have instigated some program's that are helping keep the other inmates more easier to control....etc"

Obviously that's not exactly the right wording, but I really think continually telling the Indonesians off is not going to get these guys off death row. It doesn't matter whether your argument is right or not, if people really want these men off death row they maybe need to think of someway that seems very respectful or beneficial to the Indonesian government and a way that doesn't make the Indonesian government feeling like they have to back down and lose face.

I suspect it is too late now for such an approach, but i think a gently gently approach would have been more effective.

Who 10 years ago

Here's a tip, don't commit a crime in a country that attracts the deatg penalty. They knew this 10 years ago when they decided to export however many kilos of drugs so it is unreasonable for them to cry 'poor me' when they are handed that sentence and expect our government to put their time, money and focus into a black and white case. That is Indonesia's law and as a country they have every right to make their own laws just as Australia does. If a Saudi Arabian came to Australia and engaged in sexual activities with a minor we would absolutely put them through our court system and they would go to jail. Would we listen to the Saudi governments explanation that their citizen did nothing wrong because that is normal in their country? No.
Yes I can compare the two because while we are passionate about child protection Indonesia is just as passionate about being anti drugs. They believe drug traffickers are on the same level as murderers.
On a personal note I do think 10 years is a very long time and I know I'm nothing like who I was a decade ago. I am very sad for these men and from what I've read they do great work in the prison. Perhaps they ought to be given a choice on death or to spend the rest of their life in there. I don't think being released should be an option. We must respect the country we travel to and their laws even if they are different to our own.