Off the wire
• Serbian defender Nastasic to stay in Schalke for at least 4 more seasons  • Political advisors offer suggestions on democracy, anti-corruption  • Kenyan leader asks officials to adopt e-procurement to cut tender graft  • Uganda, Russian firms in talks over construction of 2.5 bln USD oil refinery  • Over 56 bln USD invested to help science, technology companies  • Park, Pettersen and Ryu to resume rivalry in ladies golf worlds  • Feature: Japan mourns lives lost 4 years after triple disaster amid growing mistrust of TEPCO  • Arab Interior Ministers Council convenes in Algiers  • Kenyan court orders repatriation 10 Somali pirates  • Over 60 pct Kenyans agree to deploy troops in Somalia to fight terrorism: survey  
You are here: 　 Home

Australian Muslim cleric asks Indonesia to reconsider execution against nationals

Xinhua, March 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's most senior Muslim Cleric, the Grand Mufti, flown to Jakarta to plead for the lives of two Australian convicts on Wednesday, asking the Indonesian government to deeply consider their apology.

The request of the cleric Ibrahim Abu Mohamed who claimed of representing Muslim community in Australia was conveyed to Indonesia's Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin during Ibrahim's visit to the minister's office here.

In a press conference held after the meeting with Indonesian minister, Ibrahim said that relation between Indonesia and Australia is a historical one between two neighbors, and that the two nations always respect each other.

"It must not be disrupted by events that have been happening lately," Ibrahim said, adding that Australian people, particularly the Muslim community, respect the sovereignty of Indonesia.

Due to that, he said that they would not interfere the legal process in Indonesia related to the planned execution against two Australians committed in drug cases.

Australia has been struggling to free its nationals, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan from execution in Indonesia with various ways, from direct communication and lobbying the UN to make Indonesia stop the execution.

The two Australian were put in death row after their clemencies were rejected by President Joko Widodo. They and their gang, the Bali Nine, were arrested in Indonesia's Bali airport for smuggling 8.2 kilograms of heroin in 2005.

Besides the two Australians, Indonesia's upcoming execution would put convicts from Brazil, France, Ghana, Spain and the Philippines in death row.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said earlier that Myuran and Andrew have demonstrated good deeds and have changed to good persons during their jail terms that made them deserve for exemption from the execution.

The execution was delayed following a report on espionage materials obtained by New Zealand intelligence service, believed to contain results of wiretapping of President Widodo's phone communications prior to the election in 2014.

The espionage materials were shared with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), which along with agencies in Australia, Britain, and Canada, make up the "Five Eyes" surveillance network. Endi