More executions

I recently joined Amnesty International Australia because of the outrage I felt at the execution of Van Tuong Nguyen. I thought it hypocritical to protest his death individually and not oppose the barbarous death penalty universally. The announcement, in the press today, that Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have been sentenced to be shot by firing squad in Bali for smuggling heroin was terrible, if predictable, news.

These crimes deserve punishment but not death.

The failure to reverse Van Tuong Nguyen's sentence should not prevent the Australian Government from taking the maximum effort to prevent these executions. They deserve credit for attempting to stop Van Nguyen's death and should do so again.

An effective way to register an individual protest is to join Amnesty. It costs $55 annually and $22 if you are a student. Amnesty is an effective and respected pressure group.