Free the BALI NINE!

Free the Bali Nine!

The Bali Nine... from top to bottom rows, left to right: Matthew Norman, 18, Renae Lawrence, 27, Myuran Sukumaran, 24, Andrew Chan, 21, Scott Rush, 19, Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen, 27, Martin Stephens, 29, Michael Czugaj, 19 and Si Yi Chen, 20. Muyuran Sukumaran face death by firing squad in Indonesia for non-violent drug offences. The remaining seven Bali Nine members are all serving life sentences in an Indonesian prison.

This page is provided by the Darwin-based chapter of the Network Against Prohibition (NAP) as a resource for people who want to help free the prisoners of the War on Drugs and bring an end to this madness. Your feedback and support is appreciated.

Bali Nine page index

(last updated 1937 ACST Saturday 04 March 2006)

The Verdict

The Bali Nine: Background briefing

Pending court

Bali Nine resources

Stay informed on this case

What can I do to help the Bali Nine?

Write to the Bali Nine - New Address!

More handy links

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"I don't think they are targeting Australians but I do think they are very tough on drugs... they are very committed to stopping the drug trade."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer - Aug 2005

The Verdict!

The verdict is now in for the nine young Australians caught up in Indonesia's War on Drugs.

Their crime: 'drug trafficking'. The crime of transporting (currently) ‘illicit’ substances and plants from one nation state to another (or even transporting them within the boundaries of one country) has brought them a fate worse than most Australians could ever imagine - they were all charged with offences that carry the death penalty. For two of the nine, facing a firing squad is now a reality.

Their sentences are:

Myuran Sukumaran Sentenced to Death by Firing Squad 14th February 2006. The 24 year-old from Auburn in Sydney was found in the Melasti bungalows on Bali's Kuta Beach where two bags of heroin weighing 350 grams and five mobile phones were found. He had also visited Bali on October 4, 2004.

Andrew Chan Sentenced to Death by Firing Squad 14th February 2006. Police arrested Andrew Chan on an Australian Airlines plane at Denpasar airport and seized three mobile phones and a boarding pass from him. The 21-year-old Sydney man had made a previous visit to Bali on October 16, 2004.

Martin Stephens Sentenced to Life in Prison 14th February 2006
"First, let me say how sorry I am that I have shamed Bali and the Balinese people. This was never my intention," Martin Stephens.

The 29-year-old Wollongong former barman was detained at Denpassar airport in Bali with less than 3 kilograms of heroin allegedly strapped to his body. This was Martin Stephens' first trip to Bali. Martin has no prior criminal record and claims he was shown photos of his family when the threats were made against him. He was told that his girlfriend would be killed if he pulled out of the drug operation. Martin in being represented by Indonesian Lawyers Miss Anggia Browne and Mr. Wirawan Adnan.

Renae Lawrence Sentenced to Life in Prison 13th February 2006
The only female of the Bali Nine, 27-year-old Renae Lawrence of Wallsend, Newcastle was allegedly found with three packets of heroin weighing 2.689 kilograms strapped to her body. She had visited Bali on two other occasions, on October 16, and November 5, 2005. Renae was apparently desperate for money and had large debts. Renae in being represented by Indonesian Lawyer Miss Anggia Browne.

Scott Rush Sentenced to Life in Prison 13th February 2006
One of three from Brisbane, the 19-year-old was arrested with 991 grams of heroin attached to his back, and 444 grams strapped to his right leg. This was the first time Rush had been to Bali. His parents Lee and Christine were the first to arrive after the arrests. In between his interrogations, he has been studying Indonesian.

Michael Czugaj Sentenced to Life in Prison 14th February 2006
"I am truly sorry and regret all that has happened," says Michael.

Police detained 19-year-old Czugaj, also from Brisbane with 1.06 kilograms of heroin stuck to his back. He had 433 grams attached to his right thigh, and 428 grams on his left thigh. This was also his first trip to Bali. Czugaj collapsed and wept uncontrollably in his mother's arms when she arrived at the prison to visit him. Michael Czugaj told his parents he was in Cairns on holiday. He has been described as a problem child but "not a crim".

Matthew Norman Sentenced to Life in Prison 15th February 2006

The 18-year-old from Quakers Hill, NSW was found with Sukumaran, Chen and Nguyen in the Melasti bungalows on Bali's Kuta Beach. This was his third trip to Bali after visits in December 2004, and January this year. Norman was taken to hospital for a quick check up for depression, and throat problems.

Si Yi Chen Sentenced to Life in Prison 15th February 2006
The 20-year-old from Doonside, NSW was also found in the hotel room with the drugs and the five mobile phones. He had never been to Bali before. Chen moved to Australia from China nine years ago. His parents were unaware their only child was in Indonesia when he was arrested.

Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen Sentenced to Life in Prison 15th February 2006. This was the second trip to Bali for the 27-year-old from Brisbane. He was found with Sukumaran, Chen and Norman in the Melasti bungalows on Bali's Kuta Beach. Police this week are also investigating the possibility that Nguyen played a key role in paying for and bringing the heroin stash to Bali.

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The 31st Smoke-In

10th March 2007
12noon - Raintree Park

If your are in Darwin on Sat, 10 March, 2007, show your support for the Bali Nine by coming along to NAPNT's 31st Smoke-In for Human Rights.

The Smoke-In will feature music, a free sausage sizzle, speakers and an open-mike.

Come along to Raintree Park, Smith St Mall, Darwin, 12 noon, Sat, 10 March, 2007.

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The Bali Nine: Background briefing

By Nap web team
First published – Friday, 30th September 2005

Bali: The Eastern Front

On a balmy April day on the Indonesian resort isle of Bali, Australian and Indonesian anti-drug warriors unleashed their dogs of war on nine young Australians.

The previously distant War on Drugs suddenly became very real for nine young Australians.

In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest battles of the War on Drugs this decade; Matthew Norman, Renae Lawrence, Myuran Sukumaran, Andrew Chan, Scott Rush, Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen, Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Si Yi Chen are in the custody of Indonesia’s brutal and overcrowded ‘justice’ system and it doesn't look like they'll be home anytime soon!

Their crime: 'drug trafficking'. The crime of transporting (currently) ‘illicit’ substances and plants from one nation state to another (or even transporting them within the boundaries of one country). Now they face trials in Indonesian courts. To make matters worse than most Australians could ever imagine - they have all been charged with offences that carry the death penalty. In

Indonesia

that means if they are found guilty they face death by firing squad.

Squalid, cramped conditions

To get a better understanding of the conditions faced by the Bali Nine and Indonesian prisoners in general, AEGIS reported last year that: "most of Indonesia's prisons are overcrowded, not to mention ill-equipped with vital health facilities."

Just like prisoners in Australian jails, the Bali Nine face the very real threat of collateral damage in the form of infection with HIV, other blood borne viruses such as Hepatitis C and the very nasty Tuberculosis.

According to AEGIS, the health budget for one inmate is just one US dollar per year.

It didn't take long for the strain to start taking it's toll. Renae Lawrence attempted suicide in July. Luckily she was saved by prison staff.

The AFP, the Bali Nine and the death penalty

Many Australians find it hard to comprehend that the AFP intervened despite knowing there was a very strong risk of the death penalty being imposed on our citizens.

To put it simply though – the police were doing what they are funded to do.

It is the role of the AFP (however insane it may seem) to attempt to stem the flow of (currently) illicit substances into

Australia

. That’s exactly what they were doing when they tipped off their Indonesian buddies on that fateful April day.

It's all part of the AFP's $13 million Law Enforcement Cooperation Program (LECP). One of the goals of the LECP is "to strengthen the capability of overseas law enforcement agencies to gather information and evidence against illicit drug traffickers" through education and training programs for police officers in our region.

As the AFP website proclaims: "Strong international law enforcement cooperation plays a vital role in many AFP operations and has been integral to some of our most successful outcomes."

The drug war escalates

Over the past five years, there has been a serious escalation of efforts to foist a drug-free world upon the rest of us. Australia’s anti-drug warriors are no different.

The US-dominated International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are both aiming for a drug-free world in the near future. Both organisations are staunch supporters of a zero-tolerance approach to illicit drug use.

Prime Minister John Howard's own Drug Czar, Salvation Army Major Brian Watters, former chairperson of the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD), has recently been appointed to the INCB. When it comes to the War on Drugs (and drug users),

Australia

is very much at centre stage.

These drug eradication efforts occur on many levels.In the developing world, peasant farmers and their families are the target, facing sanctions for harvesting crops that their ancestors have grown for generations. The

funds crop spraying in

Afghanistan

and Central America regardless of the impact on the environment.

The Western front

The powerless underclass in western 'democracies' is currently being incarcerated en masse in the name of the War on Drugs.

Incarceration is now an essential component of 'justice' systems in Western nations. There are corporations who see private prisons as one of their primary revenue raising tools and parliaments who see votes in building (and filling) more jails.

As early as 2000, the World Socialist Website's Joseph Delius reported that some US states are already spending a significant amount more on their jails than on higher education. The US state of California - over which Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger presides - has the highest incarceration rate in the world with over 626 prison inmates per 100,000 residents. (See UNODC Global Incarceration and Prison Trends).

Australia's Northern Territory (NT), the birth-place of the Network Against Prohibition (NAP), has an atrocious incarceration rate. The NT Government jail nearly 600 people out of every 100,000. A stunning ninety per cent of whom are Indigenous people.

Amazingly, the incarceration rate in Indonesia is only 21 per 100,000 inhabitants (Prisons: a booming industry in the US and Europe - WSWS article, June 5, 2000).

Many countries still utilise the death penalty as a key part of their drug eradication program.

and even the

have laws on the books that can land you a death sentence for non-violent drug offences.

Cooperation

When it comes to the War on Drugs, the Australian Government has no qualms about our law enforcement bodies and military authorities engaging in intelligence sharing and cooperating with their overseas counterparts. Even if they are countries that are known to execute non-violent drug offenders, fund right wing paramilitaries or poison whole communities by crop spraying. This 'cooperation' is encouraged and clearly endorsed by senior Aussie politicians.

AFP operations in

Thailand

are a good example of our Government's head in the sand approach to some of the barbaric practices in our region. They opened an office in Chiang Mai in the same year that the obscenely corrupt Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched his own anti-drug offensive - responsible for 3000 deaths.

Drug users almost had to tackle this genocide on their own.

Despite these extrajudicial killings, Thaksin still has an iron grip on his Thai Rak Thai ("Thais Love Thais") political party and warm support from our PM John Howard and the Emperor, George W, Bush.

He has pledged that the next phase of his offensive will get underway in October 2005 – with the cooperation and support of the AFP.

The deaths of 3000 Thai nationals in 2003 didn’t even register with our Federal Government, nor did the recent hanging of Shanmugam Murugesu in

Singapore

.

Our military continue to train members of

Singapore's armed forces

.

Our relationships with

Indonesia

and

Malaysia

are no different. New Horizon, Kangaroo and Starfish are major joint military exercises regularly held to the north of Australia and across South East Asia involving air, sea and land forces. These military activities have become an essential part of the Northern Territory economy.

Australia's Justice Minister Chris Ellison has said: "Wherever an Australian faces the death penalty, we pull out all stops to make a plea on their behalf for that not to be carried out.

"We will always, as a government, go into bat to save the death penalty being carried out on Australian citizens.”

In my book, “pulling out all stops” or “going into bat” would include an immediate end to military cooperation between Australia and any nation that threatens to execute one of our citizens (and any one else for that matter).

We should be batting right now!

Despite his public discomfort with the death penalty, our Prime Minister John Howard is a strong and loud proponent of any drug eradication efforts - encouraging anti-drug efforts across Asia and the Islamic world.

It’s the Laurel (Bush) and Hardy (Howard) approach to what our masters perceive to be ‘abnormal’ behaviour – the ingestion of plants and other substances.

The Bali Nine case is just one example of the recent escalation of the War on Drugs.

These young Aussies are now the poster-children for a renewed puritan push across the globe, in nations of all religious persuasions.

Unfortunately for them, the working class Bali Nine don’t seem to attract the same amount of attention as the middle class Aussie ‘beauties’ Schapelle Corby and Michelle Leslie.

Having a few Asians among their number is a significant impediment. The Australian media (and parts of the community in general) are notoriously racist. Remember Nguyen Tuong van?

The fact that they have been charged with trafficking heroin doesn’t help either. Many Australians have fallen victim to years of drug war propaganda. Heroin users are seen as the lowest of the low by mainstream Australian society and there are many misconceptions about the drug.

Even though they are both derived from naturally occurring plants, heroin is classed by many as a ‘hard’ drug while cannabis is generally seen as ‘soft’ (although this is changing with the recent Reefer Madness campaign occurring in Australia, the UK and, of course, the US).

The ‘heroin’ word has had a serious impact on the level of publicity surrounding the Bali Nine.

The only publicity they seem to be able to get is the chequebook journalism style – and this hasn’t helped their cause.

Many Aussies have taken the position that there is nothing that can be done to save the Bali Nine. They allege that these nine victims of the War on Drugs were "caught red-handed". They point to the fact that it was the nasty drug heroin and not ganja, as was the case with Schapelle Corby's boogie board bag.

It is for these reasons that we need to go the extra yards to support the Bali Nine and to ensure their safe return home.

Not in a body bag.

Do what you can to save these young Australians!

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Pending Court

All of the Bali Nine are appealing against their sentences. Keep an eye on this space for court dates.

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Bali Nine resources

NAP Save the Bali Nine poster (word doc)

NAP Save the Bali Nine smoke-in poster (word doc)

The NAP Bali Nine blog
(Media reports on the Bali Nine archived on napnt.org)

Search for "Bali Nine" on napnt.org

ForeignPrisoners.com

More info from the NSW Council for Civil Liberties

Wikipedia article on the Bali Nine

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Stay informed on this case

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What can I do to help the Bali Nine?

If you think it's time you did something about the situation faced by the Bali Nine, Schapelle Corby or the faceless thousands of people who are currently in prison, facing prison or even the death penalty for drug offences, or you have had enough of drug prohibition or the death penalty in general, there is heaps you can do.

The following are some suggestions for people who want to help with the campaign. This is not an exhaustive list and we welcome feedback if you have other ideas. Things you can do include:

start a NAP chapter in your community. Contact us to find out how;
download and distribute our Save the Bali Nine posters;
tell your friends, family members, schoolmates and work colleagues about the Bali Nine and the War on Drugs in general;
if you are in Australia you can email, write or phone your local member of the Commonwealth Parliament. Northern Territory residents should also engage with the Northern Territory Parliament. If they ignore you, find a better way to get your message across to them (if you are overseas consider writing to your own politicians);
express your concerns about the Bali Nine and the War on Drugs on talkback radio;
write letters to the editors of newspapers and other publications;
graffiti your local neighbourhood with slogans like "Save the Bali Nine", "Free Schapelle", "End military ties with Indonesia" and "End the War on Drugs";
support NAP community smoke-ins and other events;
help organise civil disobedience activities;
if you are in the Top End of Australia, come along to NAP court case s to show your support for the Napatistas;
if you are in Alice Springs, you may want to establish a Central Australian chapter of the NAP (If you live in Palmerston you will be pleased to know that a NAP collective is forming in your area!);
join our email list so you can keep up to date with any developments in the Bali Nine case and the War on Drugs (once you sign up as a member of our email list you can join us in our chatroom);
inform the NAP about your efforts;
tell your story… if you are the victim of the War on Drugs, write it up and publish the story where you can (send it to the NAP so we can put it on our website);
if you are a member of an Australian trade union, express your concerns about the Bali Nine and the War on Drugs to your union executive and fellow members... demand that your union take some action;
if you have a website, link to http://www.napnt.org;
make a donation to NAP to help us keep this website online and maintain our activities on the ground in the Northern Territory and beyond. We receive no government or corporate funding and rely entirely on raising funds from within our own community. Many NAP members are permanent part-time volunteers engaging in a wide variety of activities;
help us with our newshawking efforts by sending us any media clippings on the Bali Nine; and
write to the Bali Nine and other drug war prisoners.

If you want to get involved in the NAP campaign to save the Bali Nine, please email us or call 0415 16 2525 (+61 415 16 2525 from overseas).

We encourage anyone with an interest in drug law-reform and human rights to join us at one of our regular NAP meetings. Our Darwin meetings are held regularly. Contact us for the date of our next meeting.

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Remember Nguyen Tuong Van? He's a young Australian who was executed in Singapore in December 2005 for a non-violent drug offence. Click here to read more about Nguyen's case.

Write to the Bali Nine

Prisoner Name
C/O- LPM Kerobokan Jl.
Tangkuban Perahu Kerobokan,
Denpasar 80117 Bali, INDONESIA

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Network Against Prohibition (NAP) - NT Chapter

Bali Nine resources

Write to the Bali Nine

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