A British woman who has been on death row in Indonesia since 2012 for drug smuggling will be repatriated to the UK under an agreement between the two nations. Lindsay Sandiford, 68, was arrested at Bali's airport after authorities found 3.8kg of cocaine worth $2.5m hidden in the lining of her suitcase. During her trial, she claimed she was forced to carry the drugs by a gang that threatened her children.
Sandiford was sentenced to death by firing squad, a ruling upheld by Indonesia's highest court in 2013. Another British prisoner, Shahab Shahabadi, 35, who has been serving a life sentence since 2014 for drug trafficking, will also be repatriated. Shahabadi was arrested in Jakarta as part of an investigation into an international drug network, having previously sent 30kg of methamphetamine from Iran to his partner for distribution.
Indonesian Minister Yusril Mahendra, who signed the repatriation agreement with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday, noted that Sandiford is seriously ill. “The first one is ill and has been examined by a doctor from the British consulate in Bali. She is seriously ill and is 68 years old,” he said. The transfer will take place after both countries complete technical and administrative steps.
Indonesia, under President Prabowo Subianto, has repatriated several foreign prisoners, including a Filipina on death row for drugs and five Australians convicted of heroin trafficking. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug crimes, including nearly 100 foreigners. The last executions were carried out in July 2016.
