bali 9 drug mule michael czugaj sentenced to life , page-35

re: bali 9 andrew chan - firing squad I posted this earlier as it is very relevant to what you are discussing. I for one would not "Pull the trigger".

You should read what is the process regarding a
"Firing squad execution".
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT

LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2006/s1569018.htm

Broadcast: 13/02/2006

Firing squad executioner talks of task
Reporter: Tom Iggulden


TONY JONES: Well, if Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are sentenced to death they'll face the firing squad. The duty will be carried out by a group of volunteers drawn from the military. And, according to one firing squad commander who's spoken to Lateline, it's not a task easily forgotten for those whose job it is to pull the trigger. Tom Iggulden reports.

TOM IGGULDEN: These are the two accused of organising the plan to smuggle eight kilograms of heroin through Indonesia into Australia, 22-year-old Andrew Chan and 25-year-old Myuran Sukumaran. Prosecutors have asked for the death penalty. Earlier this month, Andrew Chan pleaded for his life.

ANDREW CHAN, ACCUSED DRUG SMUGGLER: I'm 22 years old and I'm a young man. All I ask, Your Honour, is that you will give me an opportunity to restart my new fulfilled life.

TOM IGGULDEN: Mr Sukumaran declined his right to make a statement in his defence. Tomorrow, along with Andrew Chan, he'll know his fate.

BAGUS WAHYONO, FORMER FIRING SQUAD COMMANDER (TRANSLATION): So this is how they stand - aiming at their hearts which have already been marked by the doctor.

TOM IGGULDEN: Bagus Wahyono commanded a firing squad in 2001, and offers a chilling description of what Chan and Sukumaran will face - a 10-man squad where only one soldier has a live round of ammunition.

BAGUS WAHYONO: At the time, the execution weapon used was a long one like this, containing blank and live bullets in a cartridge like this. Only one of the marksmen is carrying a weapon with a live bullet in it, the rest of the bullets are blanks.

TOM IGGULDEN: At around midnight, prisoners are marched into a remote area of jungle, well away from human habitation.

BAGUS WAHYONO: After we reach the location, the firing squad would stand in position 5m to 10m away from the prisoners. We'd tie them to a tree if there were trees, or if there were no trees we would put up a pole. Then the prisoners' eyes were covered with a black blindfold and then the doctor marked their hearts as targets for the firing squad to aim at.

TOM IGGULDEN: If the soldier with a live round misses his mark, the commander of the squad is sometimes called on to finish the job off.

BAGUS WAHYONO: If they're still alive, then it's the responsibility of the team leader, which at the time was me, to shoot them in the head to make sure they die.

TOM IGGULDEN: Like his fellow executioners, Bagus Wahyono is a soldier and volunteered for the firing squad. He says he did so out of a sense of duty.

BAGUS WAHYONO: Personally, I believe in the death sentence, as long as the court process is carried out objectively.

TOM IGGULDEN: But the experience clearly plays on his mind.

BAGUS WAHYONO: Actually, I didn't tell my wife and kids because I was worried they would influence me. So I just did it quietly without telling them.

TOM IGGULDEN: Making things even harder, he formed a personal relationship with the two men facing execution.

BAGUS WAHYONO: Several of the priests weren't prepared or didn't have the heart to face the prisoners. And when they arrived at the place of execution, they couldn't bear it and they cried, they couldn't bear to meet or face the prisoners who were to be executed. At the time I was responsible, so I carried out several interviews and questionings, and most of them just asked to pray together with me. The prisoners just wanted to pray, they had a bible with them and they asked me to pray with them so their journey would be peaceful.

TOM IGGULDEN: It may have given the prisoners some peace, but at a cost to Bagus.

BAGUS WAHYONO: I kept thinking about them for a month while I was at the office. Suddenly, I would remember them and it was really hard for me to forget them because I'd talked to them before they died and up until the time they died.

TOM IGGULDEN: Volunteers for firing squads are often difficult to find, probably not surprising given the gruesome nature of the assignment. Tom Iggulden, Lateline.


Cheers markco