by | March 16th, 2006
Bali Nine drug traffickers are playing Russian roulette according to an Australian legal expert. Professor Don Rothwell, from the University of Sydney reckons the ‘mules’ should tread carefully in appealing their sentence.
Kingpins Chan and Sukumaran have nothing too lose, since they were sentenced to death. The pee-ons however are in an awkward situation; Don’t appeal, you’ll stay in for life, or appeal and risk death. I think if I was in that situation Russian roulette for real, wouldn’t sound bad.
Nobody is going to get clemency, let’s not kid anyone. The only things that will help the Bali Nine are a Big Solution, or the Australian government stepping in a doing a deal (We’ll give you 6 new rocket boats, just let the rugrats go).
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People life sentences who have already served five years and are of good behaviour can apply for a temporary sentence of not less than 15 years [14] (Article Nine of Indonesian Presidential Decree No. 174 of 1999).
I’d be perfectly happy if they got this.
But on thier 10th year they can actually apply for a further reduction. If approved they would get credit for time served and and most likely walk out the door in a matter of days or week after that. I’ve been doing some reading and no one seeems to do more than 12 years in Asian jails.
In America for that same crime they would have done anywhere from 3-6 years depending on thier criminal record and behaviour in prison. But American jails don’t have anywhere near the same freedoms that Bali jails seems to have. American jails are very militaristic and everyday life is totaly controled by the street gangs–they practically run the place and have been know to control some of the guards. I haven’t read anything about gangs in Bali’s prison so this may be a good thing.
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