Squiz Shortcuts - The Bali Nine

Your Shortcut to the Bali Nine

A deal is underway between the Indonesian and Australian governments to transfer home 5 Aussies serving life sentences for drug trafficking. They’re part of a group known as the Bali Nine who were caught trying to smuggle heroin into Australia in 2005. It was a huge story at the time, so in this Shortcut, we’ll get you across:

• who the Bali Nine are

• and what we know about the deal to bring them home.

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Remind me who the Bali Nine are…
They’re a group of 9 Aussies from Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle, who were caught smuggling over 8kg of heroin out of Bali into Australia in April 2005. 

What are their names?
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were the organisers of the group. Of the rest, Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Norman, and Si-Yi Chen, were all in their late teens or early 20s when they were arrested. Martin Stephens was the oldest at 29, and Renae Lawrence, the only female, was 27.

Were they friends?
No. They were part of the same smuggling operation but they barely knew each other. They were lured to Bali on the promise of a free holiday and a payment of between $5,000 and $10,000 for carrying drugs. 

How were they caught?
Some were caught trying to board flights at Denpasar airport - 4 of them with drugs strapped to their bodies under their clothes. Others were arrested at hotels in Kuta where they were found with drug equipment.

Was it a big story?
It was massive. Not only because they were all so young, but it shocked Australians that they’d risk smuggling drugs out of Indonesia which was known to impose the death penalty - especially given the hype around Schapelle Corby’s arrest for carrying marijuana in a surfboard bag the year before.  

Were the police watching them?
Yes, and this added to the public interest in the case. The Australian Federal Police tipped off Indonesian authorities and gave them the green light to make arrests if they suspected any of the group was carrying drugs. The AFP faced a lot of questions over the decision to let that play out in Indonesia instead of arresting them back in Australia, where the penalties for drug offences are not as harsh.

What happened to them?
The group was convicted and handed sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment… In Chan and Sukumaran’s cases, they were given the death penalty and executed by firing squad in 2015, despite Australia’s pleas for clemency. In 2018, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died from cancer, and later that year, Renae Lawrence had her sentence reduced due to good behaviour and was released. She’s now living back in Australia.

What about the others?
The remaining 5 are 19 years into life sentences. They’re spread out across Indonesia - 3 are in Bali prisons and 2 are in Java. But their time in jail could soon be over…

Why is that?
The Australian government has been lobbying for years to try to have their sentences reduced. Recently at the APEC Summit in Peru, PM Anthony Albanese discussed a possible prisoner exchange deal with Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto, and that looks like it’ll happen - but there’s some legal hurdles to clear first.

What sort of hurdles?
Well, there’s currently no legal agreement in place between our countries for a deal like this. Indonesia has given a draft proposal to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke this week and our officials are working through the fine print. 

Can the prisoners be released when they get home?
According to Indonesia’s Minister for Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra, it’s up to Australian authorities to make that call. He said that while Indonesia would prefer the prisoners to serve their full sentences at home, “if the countries want to give amnesty, we respect it. It’s their right.”

What’s in it for Indonesia?
They want an exchange of prisoners - so we’d repatriate certain Indonesians held in our jails.

How soon could the transfer happen?
According to the Indonesians, quite soon. Mahendra said President Subianto is pushing to get the deal done asap - and he’s doing similar prisoner exchange deals with France and the Philippines. He said: “We hope we can finalise this matter…this December.” 

What a Christmas present that’d be for their families…
It sure would for some. But for others in the group, it’s complicated. Martin Stephens and Matthew Norman have both gotten married while in jail. Stephens has fathered a child and Norman is a step dad to his wife’s daughter.

Why does that complicate things?
Legal experts reckon that the conditions of the deal would likely include a lifetime ban from returning to Indonesia, which would mean the prisoners would be separated from their partners and children… So there’s a bit to work through.

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