Sunday, February 1, 2015

2 Australian Men Await Firing Squad

Two Australians, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, were caught and sentenced to death in Indonesia for a failed drug plot in 2005.  Since being thrown into jail and waiting for their appeals, Myuran Sukumaran started to teach art classes at the prison and Andrew Chan started running a prayer service.  The first PK was filed four years ago and got rejected.  Then the lawyers started the clemency process and the president rejected the clemency.  Now they await the second judicial review to decide their fate.  They both know that in days or weeks they could be lead out of their cells, blindfolded, and shot by an Indonesian firing squad.  The President chimed in to say that there will be no compromise for drug executions.

Looking through this article made me wonder about what kind of judicial system and laws make a country ideal.  Sure, the laws must be in place to instill fear of punishment into the people who are governed by them.  However, a death sentence is something that a lot of countries are abolishing.  Death by firing squad seems particularly grim.  Being in prison has visibly changed these two men and can do the same for many more.  Prison for life is even way more moral than being charged with death.  From most countries perspectives, death takes up less room in a prison cell and costs less.  On the other hand, it takes away the right to life.  Since when is it up to a country to play the role of God??

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/28/asia/indonesia-australia-executions/index.html

Brad Munson

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