An Indonesian court has rejected a last-ditch challenge by two convicted Australian drug dealers facing execution by firing squad.
Lawyers for the State and Defence were divided over whether legal avenues remained for them to avoid the death penalty.
Andrew Chan, 31, was found guilty in 2006 along with Myuran Sukumaran, 33, of being the ringleaders of a gang which plotted to smuggle heroin out of the country.
The pair had challenged the court’s decision not to hear an appeal against an earlier decision by Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo, to refuse them clemency.
The Attorney-General’s office said that the ruling handed down by a court in Jakarta left him with no further legal avenues to avoid the death penalty.
Australia has been pursuing a campaign to save the men from a firing squad, stressing they have been rehabilitated while in prison.
The pair are among 10 drug convicts due to be executed at the prison island of Nusakambangan. Others in the group include citizens of France, Brazil, the Philippines, Ghana, Nigeria and Indonesia.
The case has heightened diplomatic tensions between Australia and Indonesia with Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, saying he was “revolted” by the planned executions.
Mr Widodo has pledged no mercy for drug offenders, saying Indonesia faces a “drug emergency”. The country is a major destination for drugs trafficked in the region.
Australia has made repeated calls for mercy on behalf of Sukumaran and Chan, but Mr Widodo had refused to change his stand, turning down an offer of a one-off prisoner exchange and to have the Australian government bear the cost of the men serving life sentences.
