Amid corruption allegations and political posturing, Indonesia has executed eight people. Two Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, and six other foreigners were gunned down by an Indonesian firing squad in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
In our reaction, we do not need to hold back for fear of being seen as arrogant westerners.
Execution by firing squad is the common capital punishment method used in Indonesia for a number of crimes including drug trafficking. The barbaric and cruel method has remained unchanged since 1964. Most prisoners on death row in Indonesia have been waiting more than ten years for execution.
The condemned prisoners are notified only 72 hours before their pending execution by firing squad. The prisoners are then transfered to a remote island location. In the middle of the night they They are and taken to an undisclosed isolated location to be executed by firing squad.
The death penalty around the world has two faces - one is in the international spotlight and the other is hidden from view.
