Drug Dealers Plead For Mercy Through Online Petition, Facebook, and Twitter

Due to the Internet having the power to form and move communities, people are now using the web as a tool to call for help and attract sympathy. That’s what Australian lawyers are currently doing to help two Australian citizens, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were convicted of drug trafficking and have subsequently been sentenced to death by firing squad in Indonesia.

They are starting an online movement titled the ‘Mercy Campaign’ for Andrew and Myuran. The two were arrested in 2005 in Bali with their group of drug smugglers, who became known as the Bali Nine, with 8.3 kg of heroin in tow.

The petition is begging mercy from Indonesia’s president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to spare Andrew and Myuran’s lives, since the president has the power to reconsider the decision. The Mercy Campaign is now gathering signatures and drawing attention from every social media platform, including Facebook and Twitter.

The other member of the Bali Nine drug smugglers were sentenced to life imprisonment, but since Andrew and Myuran were the ringleaders they have to face the death penalty. John Riordan, one of the organisers of this online campaign, said:

We want to reach out to as many Australians and people around the world to show their support, put their name on the petition, and help bring to the President’s attention that these two men have rehabilitated and they deserve to be shown mercy.

The campaign has, however, been criticized by some Indonesian human rights activists. Although most disagree with the death sentence, they are afraid that the President’s granting of clemency would show the nation’s weakness in upholding the law. Any leniency will become a precedent if something similar happens in the future.

While there may be merits to tough stance on this case, the Indonesian government must also consider diplomatic relations with other countries. A spokeperson for an activist’s group said, “The best way for now would be to adopt a diplomatic approach and focus efforts on trying to reduce the sentence.”

Not too long ago, the decision by the Saudi Arabian government to behead an Indonesian maid who was charged with murder raised many protests, especially on Twitter. It seems like Australians are now just acting in a similar manner. As an online observer, I must say these movements used to be impossible. But all that has changed now as people can easily mobilize into one voice on the web – much of this is thanks to online petitions on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

So will the Mercy Campaign succeed? Is clemency deserved? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.