By Indonesia correspondent Samantha Hawley.
Posted about 3 hours ago
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A Catholic priest who was at the Nusakambangan prison in Indonesia during the firing squad execution of four people says some prisoners took up to 15 minutes to die.
Father Charles Burrows, who is based in Cilacap near the prison, was called there to speak with two of the 14 people originally scheduled for execution, but who were later spared.
Deputy Attorney-General for General Crimes Noor Rachmad confirmed one local and three Nigerian drug convicts were executed by firing squad.
Father Burrows said he had not "got word" if the executed prisoners suffered, but he knew the time it took them to die.
"The first time, it was seven to eight minutes, and then there were some of the other times it was 15 minutes and they still weren't, hadn't expired," he said.
"And the captain has to wait with a pistol and shoot into the brain."
Father Burrows said he went with the other ministers from different spiritualities to the "shooting place", because there was no time to speak with them in their cells, with great confusion in the lead-up to the execution.
He said it was a "traumatic experience".
The ministers prayed together while four ministers spoke to the four men who were executed.
"They were given some minutes to talk to the prisoners or console them somewhat," he said.
"Then they came back and the prisoners were tied to the stakes. And then they went, were given another few minutes.
"They were shot pretty quickly after that."
'They tried to die with dignity'
Father Burrows said the executed prisoners were "seemingly" blindfolded first, and remained dignified until the end.
"There was a lot of anger in the first state, not last night," he said.
"But eventually … they realise they're going to die, so you best try and die with dignity."
The Indonesian Attorney General has refused to explain why 10 prisoners, including one Indonesian woman, received an 11th hour reprieve from the firing squad.
Indonesian authorities gave the inmates 72 hours' notice before they faced the firing squad.
Amnesty International condemned the executions, with the group's Rafendi Djamin labelling them "a deplorable act".
"Any executions that are still to take place must be halted immediately. The injustice already done cannot be reversed, but there is still hope that it won't be compounded," he said.
There were claims a number of prisoners had received unfair trials and some had allegedly been tortured to confess.
Indonesia executions: Prisoners took up to 15 minutes to die, priest says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
