What two Australian men’s last moments on earth will look like.
Warning: This post contains graphic details and may be distressing for some readers.
Nine years after being convicted of drug trafficking, Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will likely be put to death before the end of this week.
Fear, empathy and yes, an element of morbid curiosity, are prompting the Australian public to ask more questions about the pair, what their last moments on earth will be like and the horrible fate that awaits them.
Here is how these two men, who admittedly committed truly horrific crimes when they were young and stupid and for which they have spent a decade in a foreign jail – will spend their last 72 hours:
A boat ride to a remote island in the middle of the night:
Up 72 hours before facing the firing squad, Chan and Sukumaran will be transferred to the island on which they are to be shot; Nusa Kambangan.
Nine News reporter Jayne Azzopardi visited the island, and told Mamamia the large island is “quite a journey” from Kerobokan prison (where the men are currently being held) on the mainland, involving a flight, a five-hour road trip and a ferry ride.
“The island is a bit like two worlds, because there’s one part of it that’s a bit like a tourist island (with) really makeshift looking shops and locals sipping coconuts. We were quite a novelty, being Western faces,” Azzopardi added. “But the other side of the island, where the prisoners stay, is a different story.”
Azzopardi said she couldn’t step foot on that part of the island; it’s a restricted area, so her boat took us only to the border of that area. But she did see “a ferry when we got there that had some of the prison staff on it; it was also where they bring prisoners themselves.”
“Usually when the men arrive on the island, it will be at night time so there’s as little disruption as possible,” she said.
She also saw “a big sign out the front that has three big men with their fists in the air including the narcotics boss, and the Justice Minister”.
While seven prisons are housed on the island currently, they’re not visible from the shore.
“You can see where the road drives off into the rainforests… but you cant see anything else from there,” Azzopardi said.
“Someone described (the prison complex) to me as Indonesia’s Guantanamo Bay.”
A last meal and some supervised time with their families:
In their last 72 hours, prisoners are granted final requests and allowed to spend time with family and friends, the Daily Mail reports. Their last hours, before leaving for the firing squad, are spent in isolation cells.
Related content: “My life is an absolute waste”: A letter from Andrew Chan.
A journey to the top of a mountain… and being tied to a pole.
Azzopardi said she met a priest called Father Charlie Burrows, who has counselled many prisoners facing execution, and he described the execution process to her.
Based on her conversations with Father Burrows, Azzopardi said: “I think every time it’s slightly different. When he was there (witnessing an execution) they put the prisoners in the back of a ute, they take them to a mountain.”
Once the pair reach the mountain, “they’re tried to a pole—with rubber tubing so they can’t move,” Azzopardi said. “Then white cloth is tied over them – I think they can decide if it goes over their head or not.”
Prisoners are offered blindfolds to wear, the Daily Mail confirms.
A doctor will mark where their hearts are:
“Then a doctor comes around and marks where their heart is,” Azzopardi tells us, adding that he uses a little black badge to mark the exact spot for the purposes of accuracy on the part of those who will do the firing.
They are given the choice to sit, lie or stand.
Prisoners are given a choice to sit down, lie or stand, the Daily Mail reports. It seems strange to contemplate the idea of choice at the moment for an utterly freedom-less death. But the prisoners are afforded this right.
Death may or may not be instantaneous…
“There’s a team of shooters; the number can vary, there can be as many as 15, its usually around a dozen,” Azzopardi said. “When the time comes, the shooters shoot for the heart.” The execution is carried out at a distance of between five and 10 metres, the Daily Mail reports.
Related content: Today, we have a chance to help two Australians cheat death.
Azzopardi told Mamamia she understood the deaths weren’t necessarily instantaneous.
“[Father] Charlie [Burrows] said the two that he witnessed, they didn’t die instantly. They took seven or eight minutes to die… He said to me: ‘I’m not much of a singer, but I started singing Amazing Grace so they would have something to focus on’.”
“He described that as torture, that waiting around, knowing you’re going to die.”
You can support the Mercy Campaign, which has been campaigning for clemency for the Bali 9, here.
You can find Jayne on Twitter@JayneAzzo, see the original Channel 9 News article or watch the Channel 9 segment here.
Top Comments
Frankly, These guys knew the rules and the consequences of there actions. If you want to do some thing Illegal in a foreign country then you should expect to be judged by there laws if Caught, i'm sure that Bali would be great for a Drug Smuggler because of the strict laws would mean profit would be high, so its a risk verses reward system. The thing that's inhuman here is that the sentence has been dragged out over years giving them hope.
Why Punish 2 men who are obviously rehabilitated what possible outcome could be achieved other than making an example of these men. Why punish them after all these years is to make a point that's obviously all nothing more setting an example on 2 peoples lives is criminal and far worse than any crime that has been committed they didn't kill anyone set them free. We all know there's drugs running ripe in Bali shame on you let them educated others that's the best outcome murdering them is going to achieve nothing but to stroke your egos. Lets not forget Australia keeps Bali in good financial wealth maybe things might change now.