One year after the execution of Bali Nine ringleaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, details have emerged of Sukumaran’s final request moments before his death. His spiritual advisor, Pastor Christie Buckingham, revealed that as he was tied to the pole awaiting the firing squad, Sukumaran asked her to see if his death had made a difference.
“Ask the question in a year’s time, has this made any difference? Has it made any difference in Indonesia? Has it made any difference to the way Australians feel about the death penalty?” Buckingham recounted. She said she is honouring her promise to continue the fight against capital punishment.
Buckingham also disclosed that several members of the Indonesian firing squad apologised to her after the executions on Nusakambangan Island. “He pulled his mask down and said ‘Maaf, Maaf’ (sorry in Indonesian),” she said. “I just said Myu forgives you, I forgive you, God forgives you.”
Sukumaran and Chan were executed just after midnight on 29 April 2015, ten years after being convicted of smuggling 8.3kg of heroin from Indonesia. Their families are holding memorial services to mark the anniversary, with Chan’s family booking a Hillsong chapel in Sydney and a private service for Sukumaran at DaySpring Church in Castle Hill.
Chan’s brother Michael said the family had struggled to come to terms with the loss. “There has not been a day that has gone by that he is not in our thoughts,” he told Reprieve Australia. “Countries need to look at ways to rehabilitate prisoners instead of executing them.” Chan’s wife Febyanti Herewila, who married him two days before his execution, said his legacy to abolish the death penalty will continue.
The executions were part of a crackdown on drug trafficking in Indonesia, which saw 14 people executed last year. Despite international condemnation, Indonesian officials have flagged that executions are likely to resume this year, with more isolation cells being built for those awaiting death.
