Australian Catholic and Muslim leaders have pleaded for mercy for two men sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney and the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, issued a joint statement on February 8.
The religious leaders said they respected Indonesia’s laws, but believe Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are reformed men who deserve another chance.
The leaders’ statement has been sent to the men’s families and the Australian and Indonesian governments.
But Indonesia’s ambassador to Australia all but dashed any hopes of a last minute reprieve for the Bali Nine ringleaders, saying their legal options to escape the death penalty are exhausted.
Chan and Sukumaran face execution this month over their role in a failed attempt to export 8.2 kilograms of heroin to Australia in 2005.