Former Australian PMs in clemency appeal for Bali Nine drug pair

ALL of Australia’s living former prime ministers have made a united plea for Indonesia to spare the lives of two Australian men on death row.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were given the death sentence in 2006 for leading a drug trafficking group known as the Bali Nine.

Former Prime Minister John Howard sought clemency saying the pair had “demonstrated genuine rehabilitation”.

They are to be moved to an Indonesian island prison this week to be executed.

Australian media said they were supposed to be moved to the Nusa Kambangan high-security prison on Wednesday but that the transfer had been delayed.

Reports cited the Indonesian attorney general as saying it was done so that Chan and Sukumaran could spend more time with their families.

Indonesia has some of the toughest drug laws in the world and ended a four-year moratorium on executions in 2013. It has insisted the executions will go ahead.

Malcolm Fraser – who was prime minister from 1975 to 1983 – and all his successors gave their support to Australia’s continuing protest against the executions, for which no date has yet been set.

Bob Hawke told The Australian newspaper that justice should be based on human understanding.

“These two men made a mistake when they were young and foolish,” he said. “They have served their incarceration with model behaviour, and I therefore urge and plead that the government reconsider its decision to now take their lives.”

Julia Gillard said: “I personally would find it heartbreaking if such extraordinary efforts to become of good character were not met with an act of mercy, of recognition of change.”

Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd also added their voices to the plea.

Australia opposes the death penalty.

Six other individuals – from Brazil, France, Ghana, Nigeria, Indonesia and the Philippines – are also being moved to the high-security prison.