IN PHOTO: Australian Andrew Chan (L) and Myuran Sukumaran wait in a temporary cell for their appeal hearing in Denpasar District Court in Indonesia's resort island of Bali September 21, 2010.
IN PHOTO: Australian Andrew Chan (L) and Myuran Sukumaran wait in a temporary cell for their appeal hearing in Denpasar District Court in Indonesia's resort island of Bali September 21, 2010. They are members of a group known as the Bali Nine, arrested in April 2005 in Bali with 8.3 kg (18 lb) of heroin strapped to their bodies. Chan and Sukumaran were sentenced to death in 2006. They requested for a judicial review for their death sentence to be reduced to 20 years jail. REUTERS/Murdani Usman

Six former prime ministers of Australia have come together to support diplomatic efforts in favour of Bali Nine convicts, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. The Australian convicts are soon to be executed in Indonesia due to drug related crimes.

Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard sought mercy for Chan and Sukumaran on Monday. Their public appeal came on the day when Australia’s Jakarta embassy officials had a meeting with the Indonesian foreign ministry on the same issue. All the living former prime ministers of Australia provided their statements to The Australian within a matter of hours.

Gillard said that she personally found it “heart-breaking” if such extraordinary efforts to become of good character were not met with an act of mercy, of recognition of change.” Howard, on the other hand, said that Chan and Sukumaran had committed a very serious crime but demonstrated genuine rehabilitation. According to him, mercy under such circumstances is not going to weaken the preventive effect of Indonesia’s strong anti-drug laws.

Meanwhile, Chan and Sukumaran’s lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis requested the Indonesian Attorney-General not to transfer the Bali Nine duo to Nusakambangan island before Feb. 24 when there is a scheduled court appearance. According to Lubis, it will be difficult to get the convicts back from the island once they are sent there.

Lubis said that it would be fair “for the sake of justice and fairness” that the Attorney-General waited for the entire legal process to be finished. However, the head of Bali's prosecutor's office said on Monday that they would be transferred the “death” island this week anyway.

Lubis said that the legal team had sent a letter to the judicial committee on Friday. The letter is about former lawyer Muhammad Rifan’s accusations that there was political intervention when the judges imposed the death penalty.

Wayan Yasa Abadi, one of the judges involved in the case, said dismissed any such political intervention. "I can assure you there was none," The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Abadi, "We protected ourselves from everybody." Abadi said that he would respond in case the judicial committee summoned him.

Indonesia has extremely strict laws against drug related crimes. Australia has repeatedly asked Indonesia to grant clemency to Chan and Sukumaran who are convicted of drug smuggling. So far, Indonesia has maintained its stance not to show any mercy to the convicts.

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