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Ambassadors recalled after Indonesia executes 6 in firing squad

By Andrew V. Pestano

JAKARTA, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Brazil and Netherlands recalled their Indonesian ambassadors after the firing-squad execution of six people convicted of drug smuggling.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff pleaded for clemency before the executions.

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Marco Archer, 53, from Brazil, and Ang Kiem Soe, 52, from the Netherlands, were among those executed. The four others were from Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Archer is the first Brazilian to be executed by a foreign government. Indonesian President Joko Widodo previously said he will show no mercy to drug criminals.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the execution was "a cruel and inhumane punishment... an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity."

Amnesty International urged the Indonesian government to stop the executions.

"These executions must be stopped immediately," Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International's Research Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said. "The death penalty is a human rights violation, and it is shocking that the Indonesian authorities are looking to put to death six people this Sunday."

An total of 20 executions are scheduled for 2015 in Indonesia. International law does not declare drug-related offenses as "most serious crimes" in which the death penalty can be used.

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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott also asked President Widodo to cancel the execution of two Australian men who were charged with carrying 17 pounds of cocaine through an airport.

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