Bali Nine: Myuran Sukumaran makes personal appeal to president Joko Widodo with portrait signed 'people can change'

Portrait of Indonesian president Joko Widodo by Myuran Sukumaran

Australian death-row prisoner Myuran Sukumaran has made a personal appeal for mercy to Joko Widodo, painting a portrait of the Indonesian president and signing it with the words "people can change".

Sukumaran led an art studio for his fellow prisoners during his time in Kerobokan prison, where he was mentored since 2012 by celebrated war artist Ben Quilty.

Sukumaran was recently awarded an associate degree in fine arts by Curtin University.

The portrait of of Mr Widodo is Sukumaran's most recent work.

He painted the oil on canvas artwork in Kerobokan prison in late January, in his final weeks there before being transferred to Nusakambangan island.

Sukumaran and fellow Bali Nine ringleader Andrew Chan have spent a week on "execution island", where they are awaiting a court appeal against their expected executions for heroin smuggling.

Australia's consul-general to Bali, Majell Hind, today visited the prisoners to check on their welfare.

It was her third trip to the island since Chan and Sukumaran were transferred there from Bali last Tuesday.

Both prisoners are said to be doing well.

Sukumaran and Chan's families visited them for the first time on the island yesterday and are due to do so again tomorrow.

Chan and Sukumaran are among 10 death-row prisoners awaiting news of the timing of their executions.

Several of them have ongoing legal appeals before Indonesia's courts and although the attorney-general says everything is almost ready for the executions to proceed, that will not happen until many of the legal processes are settled.

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Source: ABC.net.au, March 10, 2015

Bali Nine: Andrew Chan Proposed To Girlfriend Ahead Of Indonesia Execution

Andrew Chan and Febyanti Herewila

Andrew Chan, one of the two Australian men who were sentenced to death in Indonesia for leading the Bali Nine drug-trafficking ring, proposed to his girlfriend after learning that his request for clemency was rejected, according to Australian news reports Tuesday (local time).

Chan, 31, asked for the hand of Febyanti Herewila, also known as Feby, last month and she accepted immediately, according to News Corp Australia. The proposal's announcement followed a delay in the impending executions of Chan and fellow Bali Nine convict Myuran Sukumaran, though their cases might be resolved as early as this week. Both are expected to face a firing squad.

“Andrew is one of the strongest, kindest people I have ever met,” Feby told News Corp. “I have never seen him as just a prisoner or someone who is on death row. I love him for who he is. And I see what he does for other people and that makes me love him more. If you ask me why do I love him, it’s because he also has weaknesses as well but he also has a lot of good things about him. I accept him the way he is. I am also very proud of him.”

Chan proposed in the presence of his parents, Ken and Helen, who were in Bali along with his three siblings, their spouses and 6-month-old nephew Kai.

Source: International Business Times, March 10, 2015

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