JAKARTA // An Indonesian court on Monday dismissed an appeal by two Australian drug smugglers facing imminent execution.
The pair have now exhausted all legal attempts to avoid the firing squad, according to the country’s legal chief.
Following the ruling, lawyers for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran vowed to take the case to the constitutional court but Indonesia’s attorney-general accused the legal team of “playing with justice” and said the move would not delay the executions.
In its ruling, the state administrative court in Jakarta upheld a decision that it does not have the authority to hear a challenge to president Joko Widodo’s rejection of the Australians’ pleas for clemency.
Chan and Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug trafficking gang, were sentenced to death in 2006 for trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.
Mr Widodo recently rejected their mercy pleas, typically the final chance to avoid execution.
They are expected to be executed soon along with other drug convicts, including foreigners from France, Brazil, the Philippines, Nigeria and Ghana.
Jakarta has said it will wait for all legal appeals to be resolved before putting the group to death at the same time.
Some other convicts have lodged supreme court appeals, which could take weeks to resolve.
The Australians’ legal team has mounted several attempts to halt the executions. In the latest, they called for the state administrative court to hear an appeal against Mr Widodo’s clemency rejection, saying that he failed to properly assess their rehabilitation or give reasons for his decision.
The court refused to accept the application in February, and the Australians’ lawyers appealed that decision.
At a hearing on Monday presiding judge Ujang Abdullah upheld the original decision that the court does not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter.
After the decision, a lawyer for the Australians, Leonard Aritonang, said they respected the ruling but added: “This is not over yet.”
He said lawyers would file an application to the constitutional court to review the laws relating to presidential clemency.
“We are still hopeful ... they are part of a successful rehabilitation programme,” he said, referring to the claim from the men’s supporters that they have been successfully rehabilitated during years in prison.
“It’s a shame that they have to die in the end. What encourages us to keep going through all the options is that, although they have been convicted, in this country every person has the right to life and to defend his life.”
However, authorities have repeatedly insisted that a death row convict’s final chance to avoid the firing squad is through presidential clemency and that further appeals are futile.
Asked about the planned challenge to the constitutional court, Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said there would be no more delays to the executions.
“The legal process is already done,” he said.
“This proves that they are simply trying to buy time. We can say they are playing with justice.”
* Agence France-Presse
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
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Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5