Bali Nine: Australia Lodges Formal Complaint For ‘Lack Of Dignity’ Shown To Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran

Australian has called the Indonesian ambassador to lodge a complaint about the "lack of dignity" shown to Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran while they were being transferred to Nusakambangan island. The Bali Nine pair is scheduled to be executed in the island.

The complaint comes after photographs of an Indonesian police emerged. The officer is seen smiling with the Australian convicts on a flight during the transfer. However, according to sources, the complaint also refers to the excessive use of force used by Indonesian authorities on the prisoners. It also refers to the military presence and "the lack of dignity that was shown" to the Australian convicts.

Chan and Sukumaran were handcuffed and shackled as hundreds of masked and heavily armed security personnel took them to the “death” island on Wednesday. They were transported while Sukhoi fighter jets equipped with missiles shadowed them. A Nigerian drug convict was also transported on the same day but he was moved in a small van.

A senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reportedly called Indonesian ambassador Bapak Nadjib Riphat Kesoema on Thursday. While Kesoema is in Perth at present, he will be asked to come to DFAT and receive the formal complaint when he comes to Canberra. The Australian embassy in Jakarta will also lodge a formal complaint to the Indonesian government.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott earlier said that the relation with Indonesia would go through a “very difficult period.” He said that Australian was “revolted” by the prospect of the executions. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that millions of people in the country were “sick in the guts” because of Indonesia’s decision. Australia does not have death penalty.

The island where Chan and Sukumaran are supposed to be executed has one of the world’s most bio-diverse fauna and flora. However, its ecological uniqueness is not what has made it well-known. The convicts are generally taken deep into the woods at midnight and asked to sit down so that they could be immobilised. If a prisoner survives, the commander shoots point-blank in the head.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said last week that the laws in the country recognised death penalty. He emphatically asked not to interfere with the executions, because Indonesia had the sovereign right to exercise its laws.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au