By 12 mid-night today, 28th of April 2015, the Bali Nine – Nine condemned drug offenders will go down the drain, taking along with them some fantastic talents such as the artistic talent of Sukumaran.
Two Australian drug smugglers, four Nigerians, one Filipino, and two Indonesians are set to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia having entered their final hours – with their families collapsing in tears as they said their goodbyes.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are expected to be executed at around midnight on the Indonesian island of Nusakambangan – 5pm UK time – and were visited by their emotional families in prison today.
The relatives were mobbed by journalists as they arrived at the prison, with the sister of Sukumaran collapsing and needing to be carried.
Families of both of the men visited them today and were told they will have to say their final goodbyes today.
Chan’s mother was in tears as she boarded a ferry to the island with the pair’s Australian lawyer Julian McMahon.
Sukumaran was denied the opportunity to hug his mother goodbye after guards refused to remove his handcuffs, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The date of the executions became official when a local funeral director was instructed to inscribe the names of those to be shot by firing squad and the date of their deaths.
Chan and Sukumaran both refused to sign their execution warrants during official proceedings on Saturday, saying they believed it would be unjust to kill them.
The latter’s brother, Chinthu Sukumaran, said: ‘He’s found peace with what may happen but he and we all feel that this is a grave injustice and it did not have to be this way and it still doesn’t have to be this way.’
He also called on Indonesia President Joko Widodo to give clemency to the men
‘Please, please show mercy,’ he said. ‘There are nine people with families that love them.
‘That’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.
‘We ask the president to please use his powers to intervene and save their lives.’
The nine men are expected to be led from their isolated cells in Batu prison and through tropical forest.
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