Myuran Sukumaran (17 April 1981 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian who was convicted in Indonesia of
drug trafficking
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
as a member of the
Bali Nine. In 2005, Sukumaran was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in
Kuta
Kuta is a tourist area, administratively an urban village (''kelurahan''), and the capital of Kuta District, Badung Regency, southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist de ...
with eight others. Police found of
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
in a suitcase in the room. According to court testimonies of convicted
drug mules
A mule or courier is someone who personally smuggles contraband across a border (as opposed to sending by mail, etc.) for a smuggling organization. The organizers employ mules to reduce the risk of getting caught themselves. Methods of smuggling ...
, Sukumaran and
Andrew Chan
Andrew Chan (; 12 January 1984 – 29 April 2015) was an Australian man who was convicted and executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Chan was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. ...
were the co-ringleaders of the heroin-smuggling operation from Indonesia to Australia. After a criminal trial, Sukumaran was sentenced on 14 February 2006 by the
Denpasar
Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ) is the capital of Bali and the main gateway to the island. The city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
With the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali ...
District Court to
execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...
.
After lodging an appeal against his sentence, Sukumaran's appeal was initially dismissed by the
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
High Court. A judicial review by the
Indonesian Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia) is the independent judicial arm of the state. It maintains a system of courts and sits above the other courts and is the final court of appeal. It can also ...
on 6 July 2011 affirmed the death sentence.
Sukumaran's plea for
clemency
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
was rejected by the
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and is ...
Joko Widodo
Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...
on 30 December 2014.
He and Chan were executed on 29 April 2015.
Early life and family
Myuran Sukumaran was born on 17 April 1981 in London.
He was the eldest child of Sam and Raji Sukumaran who are
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
of
Sri Lankan Tamil
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...
origin.
Sukumaran had a brother (Chintu) and a sister (Brintha). The family moved to Australia in 1985 and lived in Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
, a western suburb of Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.
Sukumaran was educated at Homebush Boys High School
''(Latin for ''Upright and strong'')
, established = 1936
, type = Public, secondary, single-sex, day school
, free_label = Sister school
, free_text = Strathfield Girls High School
, principal = Kevin Elgood (2018)
, address = ...
where he was known as "Myu."[ Although Andrew Chan also attended Homebush, the pair were four years apart and mixed in different ]circles
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...
. Sukumaran told a psychiatrist that he faced bullying and racism at school.[ Only in his ]adolescence
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...
did he start making friends, mostly Chinese and Vietnamese, and started to feel accepted
''Accepted'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Steve Pink (in his directorial debut) and written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage and Mark Perez. The plot follows a group of high school graduates who create their own fake college after bein ...
.[
After dropping out of university in the first year of his course, Sukumaran worked as a mail-room clerk at ]State Street Corporation
State Street Corporation is an American financial services and bank holding company headquartered at One Lincoln Street in Boston with operations worldwide. It is the second-oldest continually operating United States bank; its predecessor, Un ...
, an American investment bank, and at the passport office in Sydney. He started using drugs and, attracted by fast cars, nightclubs and instant rewards, got involved in drug selling after a university friend introduced him to the criminal world.[ Sukumaran met Andrew Chan at a friend's party in 2002 and got involved in smuggling drugs from Indonesia to Australia.]
Trafficking conspiracy
Media reports based on the testimony of co-conspirator Renae Lawrence
Renae Lawrence (born 11 October 1977) is an Australian woman who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine.
In April 2005, on her third trip to Bali, Lawrence was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport ...
claim that she met Sukumaran through Andrew Chan. Sometimes referred to in the media as a "martial arts expert" or "the enforcer", Sukumaran trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
.
In an interview broadcast on SBS TV
SBS may refer to:
Broadcasting
* SBS Broadcasting Group, Belgium, formerly many countries
* Talpa TV, formerly SBS Broadcasting B.V., Netherlands
** SBS6, Dutch television channel
** SBS9, Dutch television channel
* Special Broadcasting Service ...
's ''Dateline
A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story was written or filed, though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted from wire services, the distributing organization is ...
'' program following his sentencing and appeal, Sukumaran said:
According to Lawrence, following earlier alleged threats from Chan, on 5 April 2005 Sukumaran met with Si Yi Chen
The International System of Units, known by the international abbreviation SI in all languages and sometimes pleonastically as the SI system, is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. E ...
, Martin Stephens and Lawrence at a Sydney hotel where police allege drug smuggling tools such as sealable plastic bags, medical tape, elastic waist bands and skin tight bike shorts were stuffed into the bags of Stephens and Lawrence. Lawrence claimed she was given cash; whilst Stephens claimed that his life was threatened. The following day, Sukumaran allegedly provided another group with cash for airflight tickets.
On arrival in Bali, Sukumaran checked into the Hard Rock Hotel, where Chan had already arrived. Other members of the Bali Nine were staying at other hotels across Kuta. It is unclear what Sukumaran's movements were whilst in Bali. On the evening of 17 April, appearing like tourists, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen
Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen (; 30 October 1983 – 9 May 2018) was a Vietnamese– Australian citizen. He was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Nguyen was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in ...
, Chen and Matthew Norman
Matthew James Norman (born 17 September 1986) is an Australian man who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Norman was arrested in a room at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta together with three others ...
checked into the Melasti Hotel. Sukumaran, who was also with them with his bags, left the bags with the others as he decided to go back to the Hard Rock Hotel complex.
Arrest
Sukumaran was arrested on 17 April 2005, the day of his 24th birthday, at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta with Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Si Yi Chen and Matthew Norman. Indonesian police claim the group were in possession of of heroin and bundles of plastic wrapping, Elastoplast tape, and a set of scales, indicating involvement in a plan to transport drugs to Australia.
Earlier that day at Ngurah Rai International Airport
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional I Gusti Ngurah Rai) , is the main airport in Bali, located 13 km south of Denpasar. Ngurah Rai is the second busiest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno–Hatta Int ...
in Denpasar, Indonesian police also arrested the following drug mules after they were found carrying various amounts of heroin concealed on their bodies. Martin Stephens was found to be carrying ; Renae Lawrence was found to be carrying ; Michael Czugaj
Michael William Czugaj (born c. 1986) an Australian former glazier from Oxley, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, Czugaj was arrested at Ngurah Rai Internat ...
was found to be carrying and Scott Rush
Scott Anthony Rush (born 3 October 1985) is an Australian former labourer, who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine. In 2005, on his first trip to Bali, Rush was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airpor ...
was found to be carrying of heroin. Alleged co-ringleader, Andrew Chan, was also arrested the same day whilst seated on an Australian Airlines
Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, servicing Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all-economy, full-service international leisure carrier, and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qan ...
flight waiting to depart Denpasar for Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. At the time Chan was arrested, he was carrying three mobile phones and a boarding pass. No drugs were found in his possession.
Sukumaran denied any involvement with the heroin seized at the airport or any heroin located at the premises upon his arrest. Up until his arrest in Indonesia, Australian and Indonesian police did not know the identity of the man. Indonesian police speculated that Sukumaran was Chan's bodyguard, because they were always together.
Criticism of Australian Federal Police tipoff
Lee Rush, the father of Scott Rush, a fellow member of the Bali Nine, said that he contacted the Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...
(AFP) prior to the commission of the offence, fearing his son was travelling to Bali and would commit a drug-related crime. Rush senior said he received assurances from the AFP that it would tell his son he was under surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
to dissuade him from going through with the crime before the group's departure from Indonesia.
Scott Rush's lawyers said he was never contacted. It was revealed that the AFP alerted Indonesian police that a crime was to be committed approximately two weeks before the arrests, and had commenced an investigation about ten weeks prior to the arrests. When the Bali Nine were arrested, the news of the tipoff became public and there was criticism of the role of the AFP in protecting the interests of Australian citizens. Commenting on the matter at the time, AFP Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
Mick Keelty
Michael Joseph Keelty AO (born 13 July 1954) is a retired Australian Police Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009. He was also the inaugural chairperson of the Australian Crime Commission, now known as the Australia ...
was reported as saying:
Rush took action in the Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...
against the AFP for breach of the bilateral treaty A bilateral treaty (also called a bipartite treaty) is a treaty strictly between two Sovereign state, state entities. It is an agreement made by negotiations between two parties, established in writing and signed by representatives of the parties. T ...
between Indonesia and Australia when information was handed by the AFP to the Indonesians. Rush's case claimed that such information should only be released by the Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
. However, the Commonwealth Government maintained that the treaty only applies after a suspect is charged. The application was dismissed by the Federal Court in January 2006.
In 2015, Nick Xenophon
Nick Xenophon ( Nicholas Xenophou; born 29 January 1959) is an Australian politician and lawyer who was a Senator for South Australia from 2008 to 2017. He was the leader of two political parties: Nick Xenophon Team federally, and Nick Xenophon ...
, Clive Palmer
Clive Frederick Palmer (born 26 March 1954) is an Australian businessman and politician. He has iron ore, nickel, and coal holdings. Palmer owns many businesses such as Mineralogy, Waratah Coal, Queensland Nickel at Townsville, the Palmer C ...
and Cathie McGowan announced they would support a private member's bill to impose jail terms on public officials who disclose information that could lead to the execution of Australians overseas, with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Trial
Criminal trial
Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail or ...
s for the accused commenced in the Denpasar District Court on 11 October 2005. Chen, Nguyen, and Norman were tried together, with Sukumaran being one of the remaining six defendants tried separately. In December 2005, as the trials began, it was reported that tensions were building between the Bali Nine drug mules and Sukumaran and Chan. Several days later, lawyers acting for some members of the Bali Nine initially sought the support of the Director of Public Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...
to intervene and lay charges for conspiracy to import drugs, so that the nine could be extradited and charged under Australian law. However, the judges hearing the trial matters in Bali called for Australia not to intervene in Indonesia's right to impose capital punishment, with Australian lawyers counter-claiming that the fairness of the trial was in jeopardy.
During the trial of Czugaj, Sukumaran refused to give testimony, stating "''...I am also on trial''." During his trial, Sukumaran denied knowing Czugaj and Rush, or any knowledge of a heroin importation plan, and frequently blamed amnesia
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
for his inability to remember events leading to his arrest. Sukumaran denied signing police statements, and when asked by judges to sign his name as an example of his signature, signed his name in four different styles. During his testimony, Sukumaran claimed he met Nguyen on the flight to Bali, and went out drinking with him, Chen, Norman and Chan whilst in Bali.
Sentencing and appeal
On 24 January 2006, prosecutors called for the death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
to be handed down on Sukumaran, the first time a demand of death was put forward by prosecutors for any of the Bali Nine. Days later, prosecutors advanced the same call followed for Chan. Prosecutors told a Bali court there was no reason to show any leniency towards Sukumaran because he helped organise the heroin smuggling operation. Prosecutors also claimed Sukumaran and Chan strapped heroin to the bodies of the fellow accused. Indonesian police
''
, mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation)
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, dissolved =
, superseding =
, employees = 440,000 (2020)
, volunteers =
, budget =
, nongovernment ...
identified Sukumaran as one of the main players in what they say was a major smuggling ring.
Sukumaran was found guilty of drug trafficking on 14 February 2006 by three judges in the Denpasar District Court, who sentenced him to death by firing squad.
Despite being relatively free of emotion during criminal proceedings, on the day verdicts were handed down, Sukumaran lunged at photographers. The sentencing was carried live on Australian television as Sukumaran and Chan both showed little emotion during the proceedings. Commenting on the sentences at the time, AFP Commissioner Keelty stated:
The Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...
, John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
, was reported as commenting:
It was also reported that the Australian government had, since December 2005, used diplomatic channels to plead with the Indonesian government that the death penalty not be sought. Following the handing down of the death sentence for both Sukumaran and Chan, ''The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'' speculated the circumstances under which the execution would occur.
Julian McMahon, a Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
human rights lawyer who took over the case in 2006 on a pro-bono
( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...
basis, appealed against the severity of Sukumaran's sentence to the Indonesian Supreme Court. During the appeal hearings, it was revealed that the governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Kerobokan Prison described Sukumaran and Chan as model prisoners and that Sukumaran and Chan have a positive influence on other prisoners. In the meantime, the Australian Government elected to not intervene until the outcome of the appeals was known.
On 7 July 2011, it was announced that the Indonesian Supreme Court had rejected Sukumaran's appeal against his death sentence. Indonesian President at that time, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to by his initials SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party ...
, had the power to grant clemency, although media reports considered this unlikely and expected that Sukamaran would be executed. In October 2014, Joko Widodo
Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...
("Jokowi") succeeded Yudhoyono as president. Jokowi, who held a hardline position against drugs,[ declined Sukumaran's plea for clemency in December 2014.][ In January 2015 the Australian prime minister, ]Tony Abbott
Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Abbott was born in Londo ...
, together with the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
, Julie Bishop
Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...
, made further representations to Jokowi and Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi
Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi (born 27 November 1962) is an Indonesian diplomat who has been serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of Joko Widodo since 2014. She is the first female minister appointed to the post. She was ...
, for clemency on behalf of Sukumaran. In late January lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran filed an application for a judicial review into their cases; which was rejected by the Denpasar District Court a few days later. Meanwhile, Indonesian officials continued planning for the execution of Chan and Sukumaran:
In a final attempt to avert the death penalty, on 9 February lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran launched a rare challenge against the Indonesian president's refusal to grant them pardons; which was dismissed by the Indonesian government a day later.
On 11 February 2015, Indonesian authorities approved the transfer of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from Kerobokan prison to Nusa Kambangan
Nusa Kambangan (also Nusakambangan, Kambangan island, or Nusa Kambangan Island) island is located in Indonesia, separated by a narrow strait from the south coast of Java; the closest port is Cilacap in Central Java province. It known as the plac ...
in preparation for execution. The transfer was carried out on 4 March.
Reaction in Australia
A candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil or candlelit vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset in order to show support for a specific cause. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group o ...
hosted by the Mercy Campaign, entitled Music for Mercy, was held in Sydney's Martin Place
Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney. on the evening of 29 January 2015 in support of Sukumaran and Chan. The concert featured performances by singer-songwriter Megan Washington
Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released three ...
, Josh Pyke
Joshua Jon Pyke (born 18 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, producer, musician and children's book author.
Biography
Josh Pyke is a prolific songwriter, with a successful and critically acclaimed career both domestically and ove ...
, Kate Miller-Heidke
Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the ...
, Paul Mac
Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed variou ...
, Glenn Richards
Glenn Anthony Richards (born 29 December 1973) is an Australian musician, best known as the mainstay guitarist singer-songwriter for the Australian rock band Augie March.
Early life
Richards was born in Shepparton, Victoria on 29 December 1973. ...
from Augie March
Augie (sometimes spelled Auggie) is a nickname for variations of the name August, which derives from the Latin name Augustus. It may refer to:
People
*Augie Auer (1940–2007), meteorologist
*Augie Galan (1912–1993), Major League Baseball play ...
, and The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Moyes (drums, keyboards). Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Recordings, Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs (''Blow Up (EP), Blow Up ...
' Julian Hamilton
Julian Thomas Hamilton (born September 1976) is an Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist, who, with bandmate Kim Moyes, formed the electronica duo, The Presets in 2003. They have issued four studio albums, '' Beams'' (September 2005), '' ...
; with Ben Quilty
Ben Quilty (born 1973) is an Australian artist and social commentator, who has won a series of painting prizes: the 2014 Prudential Eye Award, 2011 Archibald Prize, and 2009 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. He has been described as one of Aus ...
, Andrew Denton
Andrew Christopher Denton (born 4 May 1960) is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program ''Enough Rope'' and ...
, his partner, Jennifer Byrne
Jennifer Victoria Byrne (born 5 March 1955) is an Australian journalist, television presenter and former book publisher. She hosted the monthly ABC television program ''The Book Club'', originally titled ''First Tuesday Book Club''.
Early lif ...
, and Missy Higgins
Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and ''The Ol ...
who recorded video messages of support for Sukumaran and Chan. Similar vigils were organised in Perth, Federation Square
Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...
and Toongabbie near Sukumaran's family home. Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
organised similar vigils in Federation Square
Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...
, , Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, and .
In January 2015, Roy Morgan Research
Roy Morgan, formerly known as Roy Morgan Research, is an independent Australian social and political market research and public opinion statistics company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. It operates nationally as Roy Morgan and internation ...
completed a poll that found over half of Australians opposed the execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. The poll asked "Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have been convicted of drug trafficking by the Indonesian courts. Should the death penalty be carried out?" 53% of responses were negative. However, 62% said the Australian Government should not do more to stop the execution of Sukumaran and Chan.
On 13 February, Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, raised the potential for a boycott of Bali as a tourism destination should the executions proceed. Former high court judge Michael Kirby stated that he expected a decline in tourism was a potential consequence of executing Chan and Sukumaran. Both Bishop and Tanya Plibersek
Tanya Joan Plibersek (born 2 December 1969) is an Australian politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2019. She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sydney since 1998 ...
, Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman, made pleas for clemency in the Australian parliament. Quilty and Victorian Supreme Court judge Lex Lasry
Lex Lasry (born 8 July 1948) is an Australian lawyer and a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 2007 to 2018.
Early life and education
Lasry grew up in the Victorian country town of Healesville where his father worked as a soli ...
visited Chan and Sukumaran in Bali.
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Ronald Robertson (born 30 September 1946) is a human rights barrister, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship. addressed a vigil in Sydney on 28 April 2015, ahead of the planned execution in the early morning on 29 April, calling for last-minute intervention by the Australian Government.
Prison life
Sukumaran taught English, computer, graphic design and philosophy classes to prisoners. He was instrumental in opening up a computer and art room and also pushed unsuccessfully for an accountancy and law course to be set up. In February 2015, Curtin University
Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...
conferred Sukumaran with an associate degree in Fine Arts. He also started a business which sells artworks and a clothing brand called ''Kingpin Clothing''.
Sukumaran was appointed head of a group of over 20 prisoners, including those facing execution and housed in the prison's maximum security wing. His role included assigning tasks to prisoners under him, liaising with the guards, resolving disputes and overseeing modest penalties for those who transgress in their jobs cleaning, gardening and making small repairs in the prison.
Sukumaran painted multiple self-portraits while on Nusakambangan. His final painting resembles a bleeding Indonesian flag
The Flag of Indonesia is a simple bicolor with two horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2:3. It was introduced and hoisted in public during the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945 at 56 Proklamasi ...
.
Along with Andrew Chan, he converted to Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
while imprisoned. Prior to his death, he was working on a bachelor's degree on Fine Arts from Curtin University
Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...
.
Australian artist Matthew Sleeth, who ran art workshops inside Kerobokan prison, called him the "best student" he had seen.
Art
Sukumaran had his first major Australian exhibition at the Campbelltown Arts Centre
Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C or CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. It is a cultural facility of Campbelltown City Council, assisted by other governm ...
in January 2017, curated by Australian artist Ben Quilty
Ben Quilty (born 1973) is an Australian artist and social commentator, who has won a series of painting prizes: the 2014 Prudential Eye Award, 2011 Archibald Prize, and 2009 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. He has been described as one of Aus ...
.
Execution and funeral
By order of the Indonesian government, Sukumaran was executed by firing squad on 29 April 2015 at 12:25 am WITA
WITA (1490 AM, "Inspiration 1490") is a Christian radio station located in Knoxville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a Christian format with some conservative talk shows and news from the USA Radio Network.
In the late 1960s into the mid-1970s, WITA ...
along with Chan and six other prisoners (four Nigerians, a Brazilian and an Indonesian). Sukumaran and the other seven prisoners refused to be blindfolded.
Sukumaran's funeral was conducted at Dayspring Church, Castle Hill, on 9 May 2015.
See also
* List of Australians imprisoned or executed abroad
This list of Australians imprisoned or executed abroad includes those cases where:
* the person was arrested and charged with or convicted of notable crimes whilst abroad.
* the person is an otherwise notable person in Australia.
Argentina
Bu ...
* List of convicted Australian criminals
This is a list of Australian people who have been convicted of serious crimes. See demography of Australia.
Bank robbers
Australians convicted of bank robbery:
* Brenden Abbott (born 1962), known as the Postcard Bandit
* Darcy Dugan (1920–1 ...
* List of Australian criminals
This is a list of Australian people who have been convicted of serious crimes. See demography of Australia.
Bank robbers
Australians convicted of bank robbery:
* Brenden Abbott (born 1962), known as the Postcard Bandit
* Darcy Dugan (1920– ...
References
External links
Raji and Brintha Sukumaran
ABC Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sukumaran, Myuran
1981 births
2015 deaths
Bali Nine
Bali Nine
21st-century Australian criminals
Australian art teachers
Australian Christians
Australian drug traffickers
Australian graphic designers
Australian painters
Australian prisoners sentenced to death
Australian people executed abroad
Executed Australian people
Australian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent
Converts to Christianity
Criminals from Sydney
Curtin University alumni
Inmates of Nusa Kambangan prison
People executed by Indonesia by firing squad
English emigrants to Australia
21st-century executions by Indonesia
People executed for drug offences
Criminals from London