British Grandmother on Indonesia Death Row Returns to London
Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old British grandmother, arrived back in the UK on November 7 after being released from death row in Indonesia. She was convicted of smuggling cocaine worth US$2.14 million into the country and sentenced to death in 2013 on Bali, a popular tourist island.
Release and Repatriation
Sandiford was freed on humanitarian grounds and repatriated alongside Shahab Shahabadi, 36, who had been serving a life sentence for drug offenses since his 2014 arrest. Both traveled from Bali to London via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight, confirmed an official from Indonesia’s law and human rights ministry.
Arrival at Heathrow
On November 7, Sandiford left Heathrow’s Terminal 4 in a wheelchair, accompanied by security personnel. She did not speak and covered her face with a jacket as she departed.
“Two British nationals who were detained in Indonesia have now returned to the UK,” said a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office.
Context of Indonesia’s Drug Laws
- Indonesia enforces some of the world's strictest drug regulations.
- Despite this, authorities have released more than half a dozen high-profile detainees in the past year.
Lindsay Sandiford's case has drawn significant attention due to the severity of the sentence and her eventual release on humanitarian grounds.
Author's summary: Lindsay Sandiford, sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug smuggling, was repatriated to the UK under humanitarian grounds after years on death row.
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