By Ainur Romah
JAKARTA
Indonesia awoke to a wave of condemnation Wednesday following its early morning execution of eight drug offenders.
While Indonesia's attorney general, Muhammad Prasetyo, described the events as part of a "war against horrible drug crimes that threaten our nation's survival," Australia recalled its envoy to Jakarta while Brazil summoned its own and expressed "deep dismay."
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, however, appeared to shrug off the reaction saying it was common in such circumstances.
"In the world of diplomatic relations, this [a summons] is an ordinary matter," said Kalla, according to Kompas.com.
"The withdrawal usually only lasts a while. In one month or two months they will be back again."
Speaking from the Colombian capital of Bogota, Brazil's Minister for External Relations Mauro Vieira said the government was "dismayed" at the confirmation of the execution.
"We never challenged the charge or the judicial process, and respect the sovereignty of Indonesia," the ministry quoted Vieira as saying. "But we have always challenged the application of the [death] sentence on humanitarian grounds."
Brazilian national Rodrigo Gularte, who had been diagnosed with a mental illness, was among the eight, along with others from Australia, Ghana, Nigeria and Indonesia.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Gularte's legal team had asked for a stay of execution and clemency, given that he suffered from schizophrenia according to two medical reports performed in 2014, the G1 news portal reported.
Soon after the execution of the two Australian nationals -- Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran -- among the eight men, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the country was recalling its ambassador, Paul Grigson.
"These executions are both cruel and unnecessary," Abbott told reporters during a press conference in Canberra.
"We respect Indonesia's sovereignty but we do deplore what's been done and this cannot be simply business as usual. For that reason, once all the courtesies have been extended to the Chan and Sukumaran families our ambassador will be withdrawn for consultations."
Vice President Kalla remained optimistic that matters would not extend beyond the recall, saying that even if Australia threatened to undo economic cooperation, they would be the ones suffering the larger losses.
"We are importing more from Australia. If they stop the trade, they will lose," he stated.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Abbott acknowledged the executions as a "dark moment" in the two countries' relationship.
"I want to stress that this is a very important relationship between Australia and Indonesia but it has suffered as a result of what's been done over the last few hours," he said.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said the withdrawal of Grigson was to register "displeasure at the way our citizens have been treated."
She called the executions "senseless," given that the two Australians are reported to have rehabilitated themselves during their decade in prison.
France condemned the executions and said it remained concerned about the fate of a Frenchman also on death row in the country.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Romain Nadal said in a statement that the government "reiterates its opposition to the death sentence, in all cases and all circumstances" and expressed "solidarity" with the other countries whose nationals were also put to death.
He added that authorities "are fully mobilized to help Serge Atlaoui, whose situation remains very worrying."
Atlaoui was due to be brought before the firing squad but was granted a delay in execution as his defense team filed an appeal before the execution preparations.
Indonesia rejected personal pleas for clemency from Brazil and Australia and executed the prisoners simultaneously at 00.35 (1835GMT) on Nusa Kambangan Island off the southern coast of Java, according to Attorney General Prasetyo
Those executed were “Bali Nine” duo Chan and Sukumaran; Gularte, a Brazilian; Martin Anderson of Ghana; Raheem Agbaje Salami, Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise and Okwudili Oyatanze of Nigeria; and Indonesian national Zainal Abidin.
After being declared medically died, the men were bathed and placed into coffins.
The Bali nine duo will be repatriated, as will Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte and Nigerian Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise.
While Raheem Agbaje will be buried in Madiun, Okwudili Oyatanze in Ambarawa, and Martin Anderson in Bekasi, West Java.
Indonesia had rejected last-ditch pleas from the prisoners' families and the international community.
Filipina Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso was spared after a response to a request from Manila after her drug recruiter surrendered to police in the Philippines late Tuesday.
Philippines thanks Indonesia for drug convict reprieve
The Philippines says that it hopes a temporary reprieve granted to a Filipina drug convict on death row in Indonesia will give her an opportunity to testify against her recruiters.
Indonesia executed eight death row prisoners early Wednesday in Central Java, but spared Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso after a woman who allegedly recruited her to act as a courier gave herself up to Philippines police.
The Jakarta Post quoted the Indonesian attorney's general office as saying that the Philippines had said that Veloso was needed to testify against Maria Kristina Sergio.
Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo, warned, however, that the death penalty was not cancelled, but postponed.
"I say it is delay, not cancellation because the fact is that Mary Jane [Veloso] was caught in an attempt to enter heroin into Indonesia," Antara News reported him as saying.
He said Veloso could submit a judicial review to the Supreme Court based on any new evidence, and in the meantime she would remain where she was.
"If the Philippine government requires Mary Jane's testimony, they will have to come to Indonesia," he added.
Philippines Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr told foreign and local reporters in Manila on Wednesday that such testimony could shed light on how a criminal syndicate duped Veloso into being an unwitting accomplice or courier.
Veloso has said Sergio and a man of African descent gave her a suitcase before she was sent to Indonesia.
She was then arrested April 2010 at Yogyakarta Airport and sentenced to death for possession of 2.6 kilograms of heroin found in her luggage.
Until Tuesday, Sergio had maintained her innocence, saying she only helped Veloso find a job overseas.
In a press briefing Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario commended the Indonesian government for being fair to Philippine President Benigno Aquino's late proposal.
"At the last minute, a stay had been granted. As we conveyed this morning, we are all relieved by this welcome development," del Rosario said.
"The purpose of the stay is to allow Mary Jane to give testimony in connection with the complaint filed against the recruiters."
Indonesia Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said Wednesday that Veloso is now back in Yogyakarta Prison and the Philippines embassy is making arrangements for her family to visit.
He noted Sergio's surrender played a role in convincing the government to grant a stay of execution.
"The surrender of Sergio played a big part. Initially, we informed the government that we filed charges but with surrender of the recruiter, I think that made our case even stronger," he said.
Jose said the department would now work closely with the department of justice in connection with the cases against the recruiters.
"What we should do is vigorously pursue cases we filed against the recruiter and undertake the investigation... We will use the opportunity to enable Mary Jane to testify and give her testimony in connection with the case. That’s what we will be focusing on at this time," he said.
* Anadolu Agency correspondents Hajer M’tiri in Paris and Benjamin Tavener in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.
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