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The Media Gets On Board: Indonesia Executions

The headline of an article in Australia's The Independent today reads:

Welcome to 'Execution Island' – the Indonesian holiday resort where foreigners are sent to die

I can't remember another case when the media around the world, in news articles, not just commentary, used such strong words in reporting on an upcoming execution, as it has with Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. [More...]

I've been calling for a boycott of Bali for 10 years, since 2005 when Schapelle Corby was arrested for four kilos of marijuana found in her boogie board case at the Bali airport. Immediately, Indonesians took to the streets, calling for her to be killed. Since then, I've written more than 60 posts about her case.

When she was tried, I live-blogged the two hour reading of it. She was sentenced to 20 years at Kerobokan, Bali's hellhole of a prison, with horrific prison conditons More here.

Prosecutors launched an appeal seeking a life sentence. Her sentence was gradually reduced and after 10 years, was was paroled in Indonesia (she's not allowed to leave for a few more years.) The Bali 9 were arrested shortly thereafter, and I wrote about their case as well, first mentioning them here, and describing the barbaric firing squad procedure