6 February 2015

H.E. Nadjib Riphat Kesoema

Indonesian Ambassador to Australia
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
8 Darwin Avenue
Yarralumla ACT 2600

Dear Excellency,
We write as parliamentarians from across the political spectrum in Australia to request
your governments kind attention to a matter that is of deep concern within our local
communities as well as within the global community the imposition of the death penalty.
Our fellow Australians, Myuran Sukumarun and Andrew Chan, are presently imprisoned at
Kerobokan prison and are facing execution for the crime of drug trafficking.
We do not seek to minimise the serious nature of their crime, given the damaging effects
of illicit drugs on our societies. We do believe Mr Sukumaran and Mr Chan should be
punished. Indeed, we have the highest respect for Indonesias sovereignty and political
independence.
Australia abolished the death penalty some years ago and opposition to the death penalty
has strong bipartisan and broad public support. We note that the international trend is
overwhelmingly away from capital punishment and towards the imposition of lengthy
prison sentences for serious crimes, where prisoners can reflect on their mistakes and
endeavour to demonstrate remorse and to make amends through rehabilitation and
community service.
We note that in a case brought by Indonesian citizen Edith Yunita Sianturi, Scott Rush and
others in 2007 in the Indonesian Constitutional Court, the validity of the death penalty was
upheld by a majority of 6 to 3. It is significant, however, in the current context that the
majority judges accepted, on the extensive evidence before them that the death penalty
did not deter more than a life sentence or other heavy term of imprisonment. The majority
judges recommended that the death penalty should no longer be the primary form of
punishment in Indonesia, but rather one that is special or alternative.
The Court also recommended that the death penalty should be able to be imposed with a
prohibition period of 10 years, so that if the prisoner shows good behaviour, it can be

amended to a lifelong sentence or imprisonment for life or imprisonment for 20 years.

Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran have now been imprisoned for more than 10 years.
Mr Sukumaran and Mr Chan have demonstrated genuine remorse and have become model
prisoners, working constructively at Kerobokan not only on their own rehabilitation and
reform, but also for that of other prisoners. By reason of their good behaviour,
demonstrated rehabilitation and education of other prisoners, both Mr Chan and Mr
Sukumaran come within the Constitutional Courts recommendation.
Also, we believe it is significant that both Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran were only
apprehended as a result of the Australian Federal Police providing information to
Indonesian Police. Their crime, serious as it was, was intended to impact on Australians in
Australia, not Indonesia.
Over many years now Indonesian and Australian Federal Police have exchanged
intelligence and engaged with each other to address international crime and terrorism.
We are committed to ensuring that international police cooperation and intelligence
sharing continues in the interests of Indonesia, Australia, and all other nations in the
region.
Australia values our relationship with Indonesia and wishes to ensure it remains strong.
We note Indonesias manifest efforts to honour the Constitutional right to life of
Indonesian citizens, including by helping those many Indonesian citizens facing execution in
other countries. We have also welcomed the restraint shown by Indonesia in its
application of the death penalty over recent years. Australia has been proud to
consistently support Indonesias efforts in these respects and we will continue to do so, as
we oppose and argue against the death penalty wherever and to whomever it is applied.
We humbly request that due consideration be given to this letter so that the circumstances
of Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran can be reconsidered in light of their rehabilitation, their
suffering and their families suffering, and upon the reasoning of the Indonesian
Constitutional Court, we request that their death sentences be commuted to an
appropriate term of imprisonment or that they be deported back to Australia on condition
they face the criminal justice system here.
It would be greatly appreciated if our views could be conveyed to the appropriate
members of the Indonesian government, and to our fellow parliamentarians in the
Indonesian national parliament, as soon as possible for urgent consideration in respect of
Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, and others on death row in Indonesia.
Yours sincerely,

Philip Ruddock MP, Chief Government Whip

Federal Member for Berowra, NSW

Chris Hayes MP, Chief Opposition Whip

Federal Member for Fowler, NSW

Craig Laundy MP
Federal Member for Reid, NSW

Melissa Parke MP
Federal Member for Fremantle, WA

Brett Mason
Senator for Queensland

Warren Snowdon MP
Federal Member for Lingiari, NT

On behalf of
Philip Ruddock MP, Federal Member for Berowa, NSW

Senator Whish-Wilson, Senator for Tasmania

Chris Hayes MP, Federal Member for Fowler, NSW

Andrew Leigh MP, Federal Member for Fraser, ACT

Craig Laundy MP, Federal Member for Reid, NSW

Nova Peris, Senator for Northern Territory

Melissa Parke MP, Federal Member for Fremantle, WA

Jacinta Collins, Senator for Victoria

Brett Mason, Senator for Queensland

Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator for South Australia

Warren Snowdon MP, Federal Member for Lingiari, NT

Kelvin Thomson MP, Federal Member for Wills, VIC

Laurie Ferguson MP, Federal Member for Werriwa, NSW

Louise Markus MP, Federal Member for Macquarie, NSW

Catherine King MP, Federal Member for Ballarat, VIC

Carol Brown, Senator for Tasmania

Julie Collins MP, Federal Member for Franklin, TAS

Maria Vamvakinou MP, Federal Member for Calwell, VIC

Tony Zappia MP, Federal Member for Makin, SA

Senator Christine Milne, Senator for Tasmania

Alan Griffin MP, Federal Member for Bruce, VIC

Sharon Bird MP, Federal Member for Cunningham, NSW

Sue Lines, Senator for Western Australia

Anna Burke MP, Federal Member for Chisholm, VIC

Matthew Canavan, Senator for Queensland

Jan McLucas, Senator for Queensland

Janet Rice, Senator for Victoria

Graham Perrett MP, Federal Member for Moreton, QLD

Andrew Giles MP, Federal Member for Scullin, VIC

Melissa Price MP, Federal Member for Durack, WA

Catryna Bilyk, Senator for Tasmania

Wayne Swan MP, Federal Member for Lilley, QLD

Claire Moore, Senator for Queensland

Richard Di Natalie, Senator for Victoria

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Tony Burke MP, Member for Watson, NSW

Brendan O'Connor MP, Federal Member for Gorton, VIC

Anthony Albanese MP, Federal Member for Grayndler, NSW

Michelle Rowland MP, Federal Member for Greenway, NSW

Anne Urquhart, Senator for Tasmania

Deborah ONeill, Senator for New South Wales

Justine Elliot MP, Federal Member for Richmond, NSW

Clare ONeill MP, Federal Member for Hotham, VIC

Lisa Chesters MP, Federal Member for Bendigo, VIC

Lisa Singh, Senator for Tasmania

Stephen Jones MP, Federal Member for Throsby, NSW

Joanne Ryan MP, Federal Member for Lalor, VIC

Zhenya Wang, Senator for Western Australia

Tim Watts MP, Federal Member for Gellibrand, VIC

Terri Butler MP, Federal Member for Griffith, QLD

Jason Clare MP, Federal Member for Blaxland, NSW

Scott Ludlam, Senator for Western Australia

Kate Ellis MP, Federal Member for Adelaide, SA

Sharon Claydon MP, Federal Member for Newcastle, NSW

Penny Wright, Senator for South Australia

John Faulkner, Senator for New South Wales

Michelle Landry MP, Federal Member for Capricornia,

Anne McEwen, Senator for South Australia

Rob Mitchell MP, Federal Member for McEwan, VIC

Alannah MacTiernan MP, Federal Member for Perth, WA

Kim Carr, Senator for Victoria

Jill Hall MP, Federal Member for Shortland, NSW

Jim Chalmers MP, Member of Rankin, QLD

Pat Conroy MP, Federal Member for Charlton, NSW

Dean Smith, Senator for Western Australia

Chris Bowen MP, Federal Member for McMahon, NSW

Mark Butler MP, Federal Member for Port Adelaide, SA

Penny Wong, Senator for South Australia

Anthony Byrne MP, Federal Member for Holt, VIC

Jason Wood MP, Federal Member for La Trobe, VIC

Chris Ketter, Senator for Queensland

Lucy Wicks MP, Federal Member for Robertson, NSW

Amanda Rishworth MP, Federal Member for Kingston, SA

Helen Polley, Senator for Tasmania

Rachel Siewert, Senator for Western Australia

Lee Rhiannon, Senator for New South Wales

Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Federal Member for Hunter, NSW

David Feeney MP, Federal Member for Batman, VIC

Sam Dastyari, Senator for New South Wales

Gary Gray MP, Federal Member for Brand, WA

Eric Hutchinson MP, Federal Member for Lyons, TAS

John Alexander MP, Federal Member for Bennelong, NSW

Nick Xenophon, Senator for South Australia

Nick Champion MP, Federal Member for Wakefield, SA

Andrew Wilkie MP, Federal Member for Denison, TAS

Larissa Waters, Senator for Queensland

Sarah Henderson MP, Federal Member for Corangamite, VIC

Doug Cameron, Senator for New South Wales

Arthur Sinodinos, Senator for New South Wales

Jenny Macklin MP, Federal Member for Jagajaga, VIC

Kevin Hogan MP, Federal Member for Page, NSW

Gai Brodtmann MP, Federal Member for Canberra, ACT

Mal Brough MP, Federal Member for Fisher, QLD

Michael Danby MP, Member for Melbourne Ports, VIC

Glenn Lazarus, Senator for Queensland

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Simon Birmingham, Senator for South Australia
Ricky Muir, Senator for Victoria
Steven Ciobo MP, Federal Member for Moncrieff, QLD
Ross Vasta MP, Federal Member for Bonner, QLD
Angus Taylor MP, Federal Member for Hume, NSW
Russell Broadbent MP, Federal Member for McMillan, VIC
Matt Thistlethwaite MP, Federal Member Kingsford Smith, NSW
Teresa Gambaro MP, Member for Brisbane, QLD
Jane Prentice MP, Federal Member for Ryan, QLD
Fiona Scott MP, Federal Member for Lindsay, NSW
Adam Bandt MP, Federal Member for Melbourne, VIC
Dan Tehan MP, Federal Member for Wannon, VIC
Mark Dreyfus MP, Federal Member for Isaacs, VIC
Ken Wyatt MP, Federal Member for Hasluck, WA
Andrew Southcott MP, Federal Member for Boothby, SA
Marise Payne, Senator for New South Wales
Ed Husic MP, Federal Member for Chifley, NSW