Indonesia executes 8 of the Bali Nine prisoners despite pleas for clemency

The Indonesian government rejected last-ditch calls for clemency for eight of the so-called Bali Nine heroin smugglers, executing seven foreigners and one Indonesian by firing squad. The execution of the ninth convict, Mary Jane Veloso of the Philippines, was unexpectedly postponed at the last minute so that officials could review her drug-smuggling conviction — Veloso's family says she unknowingly carried a suitcase containing drugs into the country, and President Benigno Aquino III had urged Jakarta to stay her execution. Meanwhile, relatives and supporters of the condemned around the world held vigils for the prisoners leading up to their executions.

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