Reasonable Doubt Means an Unreasonable Death:
A Yankee’s Viewpoint of Schapelle Corby

It was sometime in 2005 when my then-boyfriend, Will, called my attention to a story that was appearing on CNN. On the TV was a terrified looking young Australian woman who was being pushed through a crowd of photographers in Bali. The reporter went on to say how marijuana had been found in her unlocked boogie-board bag at the airport and she could be facing a firing squad if found guilty. As a world traveler myself, this woman was living my worst nightmare. Schapelle Corby had now become part of my life.

Over the next few weeks I found myself doing more and more research on Schapelle Corby. But the odd thing was that instead of getting answers to my questions, I was only coming up with more questions. I naively assumed that common sense would prevail and Schapelle would be released. 5 years later I’m still waiting, although my naiveté has gradually evolved into cynicism.

Myths
Fortunately, those of us outside of Australia were not bombarded by the soap-opera circus and misinformation that surrounded the Corby trial. The mythology that surrounds Schapelle and her family would have impressed the gods on Mt. Olympus. What does amaze me (which really shouldn’t) is the sheer number of people that have condemned Schapelle solely on this misinformation. Here are a few of the most common myths that I’d like to take the opportunity to clear up:

(1) Several members of the Corby family were involved in the drug trafficking industry: Nope. The Queensland police cleared the entire family of any connection to the drug trafficking world.

(2) Mercedes Corby sold drugs from her surf shop in Bali: Wrong again! Neither Mercedes, or her husband, Wayan, have ever owned a surf shop.

(3) Aussie Gold is brought to Bali to be sold: This story came out a few years ago, but falls apart like dried marijuana leaves when put under scrutiny. If this were true, there would be lots of Australians in jail in Indonesia for trafficking marijuana. To date, Schapelle Corby is the only Westerner ever arrested in Bali for allegedly trafficking marijuana.

As the saying goes, you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.

Questions
Just about the only thing that is without dispute is that 4.2kg of marijuana was found in Schapelle’s bag. It was the amount of drugs that bumped the charge up to smuggling from only possession. This standard is not uncommon even in the U.S. Where our paths diverge is that in the U.S. the prosecution still has to prove that the accused had some “plan” to sell the drugs. This is apparently not part of the Indonesia judicial system. I’m perfectly willing to accept Schapelle’s guilt once the following questions have been answered:

1) Where did Schapelle get the money to allegedly buy the drugs in the first place? It took her a year just to save for the plane ticket. At the time, she was caring for her cancer-stricken father full-time.
 

2) If you were going to smuggle drugs, why would you put them on top of your belongings in an unlocked bag with your name on it?
 

3) If you were going to smuggle drugs, why would you put them in a plastic bag with a large slash in it? You don’t have to be a drug user to know that marijuana gives off a very strong and unique odor.
 

4) How exactly does an unlocked bag full of pot make it through three airport screenings?: Brisbane International, Sydney Domestic, and Sydney International.
 

5) Why was there no CCTV footage available in a post-9/11 world from any of those security points?
 

6) Why upon discovery of the drugs were none of Schapelle’s traveling companions questioned or their bags checked?
 

7) Why was the weight of the bags in Bali not checked against the weight of the bags when they were checked in?
 

8) How is it that a customs officer that speaks no English can testify that Schapelle claimed the drugs to be hers? (she said the bag was hers, not the drugs)
 

9) Why was her request to have the marijuana DNA tested for origin denied?
 

10) Why was her request to have the bags fingerprinted denied?
 

11) How is a judge to brags about never finding anyone innocent in over 500 drug-related cases objective? (there was no jury).
 

12) Where exactly was she going to sell more expensive Australian marijuana in a country where it grows naturally?

Until someone can answer even a few of these questions, I have no choice but to have reasonable doubt about her guilt.

Well if Schapelle didn’t do it, who did? Does it matter? To find someone innocent in an Australian courtroom, do you need to produce the guilty party? There are several theories out there including Australian baggage handlers using unsuspecting travelers as drug mules or Balinese authorities looking for some easy bribe money. They are only theories, but in reality, no more so than Schapelle packing the drugs herself.

To be fair, the Corbys have made their share of mistakes. They’ve trusted people they shouldn’t have and haven’t trusted people they should have. But then again, it’s easy to be judgmental from the comfort of our homes.

5 Years Later
Schapelle has spent the past 5 years of her life at the infamous Kerobokan Prison in Bali. A place that makes Guantanamo look like a 5 star resort. If it wasn’t bad enough being forced to live in a world, few of us can even imagine, Schapelle has also had to endure the loss of her beloved father and step-father. She appears to be an amazingly strong person, but the ongoing suffering has taken its toll.

Here is a recent account from a friend who recently visited Schapelle:

I saw Schapelle just 8 months ago and I noticed a MASSIVE deterioration in her condition.

When she wasn't staring into space and rocking from side to side, or looking around intently seeing cameras everywhere and goodness knows what other demons, she was making frequent references to suicide and death. From time to time the Schapelle I remember would resurface from the depths, but this occurred infrequently. From other comments she made, and in particular, references to her Dad, I have no doubt that Dr. Phillip's assessment of Schapelle is 100% correct.

Schapelle now thinks she is ugly and this could very well be attributed to the November 9th issue of Woman's Day which shows a photo time-line of her from 2004 to 2008, using very uncomplimentary photos. In truth, Schapelle is still beautiful, although her ongoing nightmare experience is taking its toll. The people who produce these articles need to show far more sensitivity in future, bearing in mind that if the articles are about Schapelle she is more than likely going to see them. We bought Schapelle some lovely new dresses to try and lift her spirits and make her feel beautiful again.

Schapelle also thinks she is stupid, but this is more than likely the result of being called "Stupid Head" by other prisoners.

On our last visit with Schapelle, we went in with so many gifts for her that she had to get one of the male prisoners in the visiting area to help her carry them back into hell, yet they appeared to give her no joy whatsoever. When we left the prison and were being driven back to our hotel in a cab, we were both crying and venting intense anger for most of the journey.

Schapelle is Innocent and what has happened, and continues to happen to her and her family is, without doubt, one of the greatest travesties of justice in Australia's history. To all those who read this post, I beg you to show compassion for her. Regardless of your opinion on her Innocence or Guilt, she has suffered enough, in fact 100 x enough, and she has absolutely got to come home on humanitarian grounds, RIGHT NOW . If not, Australians will soon read in their newspapers of her death.

It’s very easy to justify this kind of suffering by saying, well, she asked for it. It’s far more difficult and inconvenient to entertain the idea that maybe she didn’t do it.

Diplomacy
I keep hearing about this nonsense about trying to negotiate a Prisoner Transfer Agreement, that’s exactly what it is: nonsense. In just this past year, the US has retrieved two journalists from North Korea and one misguided “freedom fighter” from Myanmar. No PTAs were involved. We will also get our three wayward hikers back from Iran without a PTA. These US citizens were all convicted of crimes under the laws of those countries. A few years ago Bulgaria (with the help of France) got back eight of their citizens who here on death row in Libya for allegedly infection children with the AIDS virus. Again, not a PTA in sight. What did happen in all these cases was good old fashioned roll-up your sleeves, back-room diplomacy.

Why You Should Care
You may be wondering why you should gave a damn about Schapelle Corby which is a legitimate question. Here’s my response:
 

1) You should care because this isn’t only about Schapelle Corby. This is just another example of the moral cowardice displayed by our leaders at an alarmingly frequent rate. It’s wrong for our elected officials to choose political expediency over human life.
 

2) You should care because sometime it may be you or your wife, sister, or daughter that ends up in a bad situation and needs the faith and help of others to rectify the situation.
 

3) You should care because you and you alone have the opportunity to save a woman’s life. You may think that there are organizations out there for just this sort of thing. Well, organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have very specific guidelines for the people they help. Unfortunately, Schapelle’s situation does not fall under those guidelines. This means that it’s up to the citizens of Australia to make it known to their elected officials that this is not acceptable!

Sure, you can tell me to mind my own American business, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a young woman who is deeply suffering and may not have done anything to deserve it.

You can help make this the last Christmas Schapelle spends in prison and not just her last Christmas.

http://www.freeschapelle.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3705