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After spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking, a British grandmother named Lindsay Sandiford returned home on Friday as part of a deal between the UK and Indonesian governments. The 69-year-old was sentenced to death in Bali back in 2013 after authorities found nearly 5kg of cocaine worth £1.6m ($2.1m) in her possession when she arrived from Thailand the year prior.
Indonesia is known for having strict drug laws, but in the past year, they have released several high-profile detainees, including members of the notorious “Bali Nine” drug ring. Sandiford was not the only individual repatriated, as another British national named Shahab Shahabadi, who was serving a life sentence for drug smuggling, accompanied her.
Their flight departed from Bali at around 00:30 local time (16:30 GMT Thursday), with reports indicating that both Sandiford and Shahabadi had been dealing with health issues during their time in prison. Indonesian officials shared details about their conditions, with Sandiford being described as “seriously ill” and Shahabadi having various serious illnesses, including mental health concerns.
Sandiford, who confessed to the crimes in 2013, had a press conference at the Bali prison, sharing that she only participated in the drug trafficking due to threats made against her son by a drug syndicate. The UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, Matthew Downing, emphasized that their repatriation was a decision made on humanitarian grounds and that they would be treated according to UK law upon their return. Other high-profile repatriations, such as the “Bali Nine” members and Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who was nearly executed, were also noted for having occurred in the same timeframe
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