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.
"I am not responsible to the people for my verdict"
That's great unless you have a job that requires overseas travel. I might also add that diplomats have those wonderful red passports that grant "immunity". Us working stiffs just take our chances.
Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands are all part of the British Commonwealth, so theirs no problem there. Puerto Rico is American as are the US Virgin Islands. Jamaica is a filthy sh*thole that nobody in their right mind would set foot in, although it is one of the most beautiful places in the region. Go to the Caymans or Bermuda, they are spotless, beautiful, the people are incredibly polite and you feel safer than you would in any tourist spot in the US (the downside is that they are both incredibly expensive).
She had a secret compartment in her luggage. We're supposed to believe that she has this secret compartment that was empty, until the drugs were planted there. Right.
You nailed it. The price is higher for Westerners, but, well, look what's happening to this young lady.
I wonder whether some corrupt officials are capable of having illegal things planted on innocent people to rally the wealthy of the world to funnel huge sums of money in bribes in order to get the person released. - Just think how doubly horrible this would be (and horrible it is anyway) if a person were innocent of the accusation.
The price is certainly higher for Westerners, but it is still generally affordable for most middle class families, it's not more than a good lawyer is going to cost. The brother of a friend of mine was caught in Costa Rica with a bunch of drugs about ten years ago, it cost his parents around $25K to get him out.
I give you George Strait, and you give me ABBA. Isn't that overkill?
How much is that in our measurement?
About 0.1 firkins.
Mexico is nothing. For the pure "I'm in hell" factor. Some parts of India are so disgusting and overpopulated as you pass through, you pray your lost guide can fins his way out. Loved the experience, but I was glad as hell to leave.
In Turkey, the local police in Dyabakir caught me with a beautiful long-slide .45. After the prerequisite chi drinking and a call to the Turkish base commander, I exchanged dollars for Turkish lire (Turks loved the stability of the dollar). I lost on the deal and gave up my .45 (foreigners are not permitted weapons), but it wasn't Midnight Express either.
Real nice. You must be a Christian.
You must be a Christian hater to make a remark like that.
Firkins of water, I mean.
Funny, but I think it's okay that we deal with ALL of our crime problems.
We also have a helluva lot more murders here than in most countires. Think there's any causality there?
And no, I don't think 20 years is a rational sentence but I don't get a vote in Indonesia.
Are you serious? I am not as well versed on drug laws as I would like to be and thus would appreciate some further clarification. It appears to me that 20yrs for 9pnds of marijuana is rather harsh. Especially when one considers what other crimes deliver in terms of sentences. Please elaborate. Thanks.
Here in Canada, with no previous record, if convicted she might have done two years, or very possibly, gotten a conditional sentence (house arrest). If she is guilty, she is guilty of trafficking at a very low level - she's a mule. I recently got two clients acquitted who were facing somewhere between 6 and 8 years for transporting 90lbs of pot and 80,000 exctasy pills so nine pounds is really nothing.
In the US, from what I understand, proving motive is almost essential to proving guilt in a crime like this. IF all her finances were in order, and she didn't have a drug habit or anything that she needed to support, she would likely have been acquitted.
20 years for an offence like this is ridiculous. Of course she isn't likely to survive it.
Real nice. You must be a bigot.
You misunderstood the thrust of my comment. The girl's punishment is the outrage.
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