Indonesia executions: Foreign envoys summoned to prison

Indonesia has summoned foreign embassy officials to the prison where 10 convicted drug smugglers, including the Bali Nine pair, will be executed.

Diplomats confirmed to the BBC that they had been told to go to the island prison of Nusakambangan on Saturday.

The request could suggest that the executions of the mainly foreign prisoners are imminent, but no official execution date has yet been set.

The prisoners must be given a final notice 72 hours before their execution.

The group includes people from Brazil, France, Nigeria and the two convicted Australian ringleaders of the Bali Nine heroin-smuggling ring, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

The tenth death row prisoner, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso from the Philippines, was being transferred to Nusakambangan prison on Friday.

"It's true, we have been told to be there on Saturday," an unnamed diplomat told Reuters news agency.

"We still don't know when the actual date of execution will happen but we expect that it will be in days."

Who are the 10 people on death row?

Earlier, a spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general's office said that prosecutors had been told to begin making their preparations for the executions.

"This order has been issued so that the officials make preparations concerning their role," said spokesman Tony Spontana, as quoted by AFP.

A lawyer for two Australian prisoners - who were sentenced to death in 2006 - expressed concern over the latest developments.

Peter Morrisey told ABC News that the legal process was not yet finished but that it looked as though "the attorney general's office is determined to press ahead and hustle through".


Indonesia has faced heavy criticism from the countries whose nationals are facing execution.

Australia has mounted a strong diplomatic campaign on behalf of Chan and Sukumaran, while their families have argued that they are reformed characters and should be shown mercy.

The pair have already had clemency appeals rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo earlier this year.

Mr Widodo, who took office in 2014, has a policy of denying clemency to drug offenders, saying the drug trade has caused huge damage to Indonesia.