Four Australians get death sentence over drugs case

JAKARTA, Sep 6 (Reuters) Indonesia's Supreme Court has given three young Australians death sentences for heroin trafficking after prosecutors appealed against an earlier cut in their jail terms, a court official said today.

A fourth Australian man was also given a death sentence after appealing against his life term, Zarof Ricar, director of criminal justice at the Supreme Court, told reporters.

The rulings are likely to strain ties between the two neighbours and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters in Canberra that an appeal for clemency would be filed.

According to the court official, six of the so-called ''Bali Nine'' gang arrested on the resort island last year while trying to smuggle more than 8.2 kg (18 lb) of heroin into Australia now face execution.

The court handed down death sentences to Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Si Yi Chen and Matthew Norman, the official said. This was also confirmed by court documents seen by Reuters.

The three were among five from the group to have their life sentences cut to 20 years in April after an appeal at the Bali High Court.

''The Supreme Court has granted appeals by the prosecutors and retried the cases on its own, resulting in death sentences for the three,'' Ricar said.

Prosecutors had asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the life sentences but Indonesia's top court has the power to examine cases independently and pass its own verdict.

Ricar later said that Scott Rush had also had his life term changed to a death sentence after losing his appeal.

The Supreme Court upheld the death penalty passed on two of the ringleaders in the case, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Michael Czugaj had his reduced 20-year jail sentence raised to life, while Martin Stephens had his life term upheld, he said.

Renae Lawrence, the only woman in the group, was not affected by the latest appeals, Ricar said. She had her life term cut to a 20-year sentence in April.

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