UK Grandmother on Indonesia Death Row Returns to London
Two British nationals convicted of drug offenses, including a grandmother who spent over ten years on death row in Indonesia, arrived back in the UK on Friday.
Background and Sentences
Indonesia enforces some of the world's strictest drug laws but has recently released several high-profile prisoners. Lindsay Sandiford, 69, was sentenced to death in 2013 on Bali for smuggling cocaine valued at $2.14 million. Shahab Shahabadi, 36, was serving a life sentence for drug offenses after his arrest in 2014.
Release and Return Details
Both were released on humanitarian grounds and flew from Bali to London via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. An official from Indonesia's law and human rights ministry confirmed their departure.
"Two British nationals who were detained in Indonesia have now returned to the UK," said a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office.
AFP reporters observed Sandiford leaving Heathrow's Terminal 4 in a wheelchair, accompanied by security personnel, her face partially covered with her jacket.
Official Statement from Indonesia
"The detention will be moved to the United Kingdom," said Indonesian official I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram during a ceremony at Bali's Kerobokan jail.
This transfer is part of a bilateral agreement facilitating the relocation of detainees between the two countries.
Summary: After more than a decade on death row, UK nationals Lindsay Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi were released from Indonesian prisons and repatriated to the UK under a transfer agreement.
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