UK and Indonesia agree to send home a British woman facing death penalty for drugs
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A British woman will avoid execution for drug trafficking in Indonesia under a deal signed between the two countries on Tuesday to repatriate another Briton sentenced to life in prison.
Lindsay Sandiford, The 68-year-old has been imprisoned in Bali since 2012. He was arrested at the resort island’s airport after authorities found 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine worth $2.5 million hidden in the lining of his suitcase. During the trial he said he was forced to carry the drugs by a gang who threatened his children.
He was sentenced to death by firing squad and Indonesia’s highest court upheld the verdict in 2013.
Another prisoner, 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi, has been serving a life sentence since 2014. He was arrested in Jakarta as a result of an investigation into an international drug trafficking ring. Prosecutors said he had previously sent 30 kilograms (15 pounds) of methamphetamine powder in various shipments from Iran for distribution to his partner in Jakarta, eventually arriving in Jakarta.
“They are both facing problems. The former is ill and was examined by a doctor from the British Consulate in Bali. He is seriously ill and is 68 years old,” said Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. He signed the repatriation agreement with Indonesia’s Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
Mahendra said the transfer of prisoners will take place after both countries complete the technical and administrative steps.
Indonesia, under President Prabowo Subianto, has repatriated large numbers of foreign prisoners under bilateral agreements with each of its countries. They are included A Filipino facing the death penalty for drugs and five Australians He was found guilty of smuggling heroin.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug trafficking hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, as international drug syndicates target its youth population.
About 530 people have been sentenced to death in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including about 100 foreigners, according to data from the Immigration and Penitentiary Service last month. Latest executions in IndonesiaThe operation, in which one citizen and three foreigners participated, was carried out in July 2016.
