Posted on 05/29/2005 1:03:37 PM PDT by wagglebee
CHAPELLE Corby is suffering cruel abuse and racial taunts in jail as Indonesian authorities move to keep her in prison for life.
The Indonesian Government yesterday backed the prosecution bid to toughen Corby's 20-year jail sentence for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Bali's airport last October.
"The 20 years in jail handed down by the Denpasar District Court is too light," Indonesian Attorney-General Abdul Rahman Sale told the Bali Post newspaper.
"She deserves to be sentenced to life."
As the reality of the marathon jail term sank in, Corby, 27, issued a heartfelt thank you to the nation.
"Thank you Australia. Thank you for standing by me," she said through her lawyers.
"Thank you for being there with me."
In other developments:
IT emerged long-term inmates of the dirty and overcrowded prison where she is being held have life expectancies of only 10 years.
THE trial judge defended his verdict as just.
HER family fears she may take her life if she is left to rot in prison.
MEMBERS of the Bali 9 were left dispirited after hearing for the first time that Corby had been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
THE Federal Government is offering to pay for the services of two top QCs with expertise in appeals in Indonesian law.
Corby's Indonesian lawyer, Vasu Rasiah, said she was struggling inside the notorious Kerobokan prison.
"Schapelle is very emotional - sometimes she is smiling, sometimes she is crying," he said.
"She's undergoing deep shock."
"Five or 10 years maybe you can understand, but 20 years - she just can't comprehend the time frame."
Ms Corby's cousin, who gave her name only as Nina, described the Australian's jail cell as a "disgusting, dirty and overcrowded place".
"She says the Indonesians inside are giving her hell because she wears western clothes and she can't speak Indonesian," she said.
The jail, near the Balinese capital Denpasar, was built for 366 prisoners, but holds 525. Among them are the Bali bombers.
The "Smiling Assassin" Amrozi - so-called because he laughed when punished for his role in killing 88 Australians - has yelled abuse at Corby as she tried to exercise.
Kerobokan prison doctor Anak Agung Gede Hartawan said common diseases included respiratory ailments and skin conditions, while many prisoners complained of headaches.
AIDS/HIV was rife, because corrupt officials turned a blind eye to drug abuse - indeed they are implicated in supplying them.
Dr Hartawan said 11 prisoners were confirmed carriers of HIV/AIDS, but dozens more were thought to have the virus.
Corby shares her 5m-wide cell with seven other women.
She will be forced to wash with a small bucket of untreated water and a ladle.
The squat toilet is near the food preparation area and the risk of contracting gastric disease is high.
For up to 20 hours a day she will be confined to her cell, where she will sleep on a mat on a tiled floor under a fluorescent light that is never switched off.
Chief judge Linton Sirait defended the guilty verdict, dismissing public angst the decision has caused.
"I am responsible for my verdict to the God, not to the people."
Corby's mother Rosleigh had screamed after the verdict that the judges would lose sleep over their decision, but yesterday Judge Sirait said he had slept "very well last night".
He said had not let Corby's emotion influence the decision.
"A judge is not allowed to bring his emotion to the case, so the judge decides in accordance to the law," he said.
Corby's family last night issued a statement appealing to Australians to continue visiting Bali.
"Do not boycott Bali. We don't want the Balinese people to hurt any more," it said.
"We just want the Australian people to boycott Qantas flights and direct your anger at Jakarta.
"Thank you to all the Australian people for their support. We are not finished yet."
Corby's brother Michael feared his sister might try to take her own life.
"She'd be thinking of killing herself," he said.
"She's been strong up until now, believing justice will prevail. But now . . . she's not going to cope."
Corby's Australian lawyer said it was likely they would accept the Australian Government's offer of legal assistance.
Solicitor Robin Tampoe said any assistance from Perth QCs Tom Percy and Mark Trowell, experts in appeals and Indonesian law, would be welcome.
The Australian Government had urged the Corby defence team to accept the pro bono offer.
Mr Percy yesterday warned that Corby risked having her jail term extended to life if the defence team appealed.
But criminologist Professor Paul Wilson, who testified in favour of Corby during the trial, said a win was not out of the question.
"It will be extremely difficult, but not impossible," he said.
It would be helpful if we knew how the authorities really caught her. Was she part of an organized ring with buyers already set up in Indonesia? Were Indonesians tipped off? Or was this a dog sniffing catch? If she's part of some nefarious drug ring, you'd think the Indonesians would have caught a few more and brought them to the dock. Perhaps they did and one of them cooperated and fingered Corby in order to get a lower sentence or even get off altogether. To bring this out in open court might be embarrassing.
Cheers back to you, Red Sea Swimmer. Two things we can be certain of: It's a sad case and drugs are a scourge on humanity.
Maybe "they" weren't planting drugs on her, they were smuggling them into the country by putting them in the luggage of people in Australia, and then having baggage handlers in Indonesia that are supposed to retreive them...
but, in her case, the drugs weren't intercepted by baggage handlers, and she was "caught" at customs....
This is just a theory, I have no way of knowing what might/might not have happened...nor do I have any knowledge of or relationship with the girl in the article...
Does anyone on this thread "know for sure" that she is guilty? The wacky Indonesian judicial system found her guilty, so okay, she is guilty.....nuff said.
That's a US problem, if our jails weren't hotels maybe criminals would actually fear going there.
What a contrast to our country, where millions enter illegally, bringing in hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs annually, and then they get benefits and pandered too.
That, and cut their foreign aid to zero. I'm sure they'd understand that.
I couldn't agree more. They couldn't take me in a Lear jet, with a limo waiting. I have no desire to go to any of those places.
Those godforsaken countries with all of those godforsaken people are all moving to our neighborhoods changing Amerika slowly into a turd world county.
US Border Patrol "About one in every 10 that we catch, is from a country like Yemen or Egypt."
Sad, but America is going down.
"The one good thing in Australia, is that because of the huge media coverage many, many young people are seriously thinking about the evils of drugs and the pure folly of dealing in them."
They'd be better served to think of the evils of third world nations like Indonesia and the pure folly of visiting them.
As if the Bali bombing wasn't enough to discourage them all.
bttt
"...changing Amerika slowly into a turd world county."
I'm afraid that is true also. And they no longer come to become Americans, they come to be Mexicans, Pakis, whatever they were back in the old country. And the left encourages them in this in their never ending quest to destroy America.
Not quite sure what that has to do with my post.
And you are a what?
Bigotry is such a fun thing, no?
Oh, I see. Got it.
What do "they" gain by doing this?
This would be a great way to get rid of an ex spouse. Not that I'm considering this or anything.
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