Summary The condemned men reportedly all refused blindfolds and sang hymns
CILACAP (AFP) - Indonesia put seven foreign drug convicts including two Australians to death Wednesday, prompting Canberra to withdraw its ambassador, while the Philippines celebrated a "miracle" 11th hour reprieve for a young mother.
The seven, plus a local man, went before a firing squad just after midnight (1700 GMT Tuesday) on the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan in central Indonesia, despite repeated pleas from their governments and families for them to be spared.
The condemned men reportedly all refused blindfolds and sang hymns, among them "Amazing Grace", as they went to their deaths, according to a pastor who was with them.
Australia s reaction was swift, with Canberra taking the unprecedented step of recalling its envoy to Indonesia, while Brazil expressed "deep regret" at the execution of a citizen whose family says he is mentally ill.
"We respect Indonesia s sovereignty but we do deplore what s been done and this cannot be simply business as usual," a sombre Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
"For that reason, once all the courtesies have been extended to the Chan and Sukumaran families our ambassador will be withdrawn for consultations."
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" heroin-trafficking gang, were described by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as reformed men after years in prison.
Australia had mounted a sustained campaign to save its citizens, who have been on death row for almost a decade, with the prime minister repeatedly appealing for them to be spared from a punishment that he said Wednesday was "both cruel and unnecessary".
In a statement, the families said their sons did "all they could to make amends, helping many others" in the years since their arrests, with Sukumaran teaching fellow inmates English and art, and Chan ordained as a minister in February.
"They asked for mercy, but there was none. They were immensely grateful for all the support they received. We too, will be forever grateful."
- Yes, yes mama will live -
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There were very different scenes in the Philippines after the late reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso, whose case attracted emotional appeals for mercy from boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao among others.
"Miracles do come true," her mother Celia told a Philippine radio station, adding that her daughter s two young boys were awake and yelling "Yes, yes, mama will live".
"The Lord has answered our prayers," Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Charles Jose said, as activists holding a vigil in front of the Indonesian embassy in Manila broke into cheers and hugged each other.
President Benigno Aquino said the entire country was grateful to Indonesia and thanking God for the last minute reprieve, his spokesman Herminio Coloma said.
Veloso was spared after someone suspected of recruiting her and tricking her into carrying drugs to Indonesia turned herself in to authorities in the Philippines.
Much less is known about the other four foreigners executed -- three of them are from Nigeria but it is not clear whether the fourth held Ghanaian or Nigerian nationality.
The execution of the Brazilian, Rodrigo Gularte, has generated much criticism in his homeland, with his family saying he suffered from schizophrenia and should not have faced the death penalty.
The government was weighing its next move, acting Brazilian foreign minister Sergio Franca Danese said, describing the execution -- the second by Indonesia of one of its citizens this year -- as "a severe incident for bilateral relations."
Gularte s cousin was observed crying as she left the port of Cilacap, the gateway to the prison island, accompanied by a religious counsellor.
A Frenchman was originally among the group to be executed but he was granted a temporary reprieve after authorities agreed to allow an outstanding legal appeal to run its course.
France said it "reiterates its opposition to the death sentence in all cases and all circumstances".
- Utterly reprehensible -
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Under Indonesian execution guidelines, the condemned convicts are led to clearings just after midnight, tied to posts and then given the option of kneeling, standing or sitting before being executed by 12-man firing squads.
President Joko Widodo has been a vocal supporter of the death penalty for drug traffickers, saying Indonesia is facing an emergency due to rising narcotics use.
He has turned a deaf ear to appeals from the international community, led by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.
Amnesty International condemned the executions as "utterly reprehensible" in a statement from research director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rupert Abbott.
After the firing squad finished its work, ambulances carried coffins away from the island where the men were put to death. Some were shrouded in embroidery and others made of plain wood, an AFP reporter at the scene saw.
Australia s consul general to Bali, Majell Hind, who took custody of the bodies of Chan and Sukumaran, was seen departing Cilacap port with other consular officials in a tinted van.
Hind was tasked with delivering the news of the executions to the Chan and Sukumaran families, who are staying at a nearby hotel.
