AUSTRALIA ANGERED BY BALI DRUG DEATH SENTENCES

an Indonesian court decision to sentence four young Australians to death for heroin smuggling, overturning their earlier jail terms, sparked an angry political reaction in Australia.
"Judicial murder is what the Indonesian authorities have in mind here. It is a repugnant and barbaric practice," Green Senator Bob Brown said in Canberra.
A total of six Australians, part of the so-called "Bali Nine", were on death row after trying to take more than 8.2 kg of heroin from Bali into Australia.
A group of Australian politicians, members of human rights group Amnesty International, said they would protest to the Indonesian government at the latest death sentences.
But not all the criticism of double standards was directed at Indonesia, with calls for Australia to universally oppose the death penalty, not just when it involved its citizens. Howard has said he would not object to the death penalty for Bali bombers.
"Diplomacy seems to be all that stands between most of the "Bali Nine" and the firing squad. However, Australia's persuasiveness as an advocate has been compromised by its weakness and inconsistency as an opponent of capital punishment," said an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Australia must actively oppose capital punishment generally, not just when Australians are involved."