British Grandmother to Return Home After Decade on Indonesia's Death Row for Drug Trafficking

British national Lindsay Sandiford pictured in her holding cell.

Indonesia has signed an agreement to repatriate two British nationals, including an elderly grandmother who has been on death row for over a decade following drug trafficking charges.

Indonesia, known for implementing some of the world's strictest drug laws, has recently begun releasing several high-profile detainees. The latest agreement involves Lindsay Sandiford, now in her late 60s, who received a death sentence in Bali in 2013 after being convicted of cocaine trafficking.

Customs officials discovered cocaine valued at approximately $2.14 million concealed in a false compartment of Sandiford's luggage when she arrived in Bali on a flight from Thailand in 2012.

Though Sandiford admitted to the offenses, she claimed she had transported the narcotics under duress, stating that a drug syndicate had threatened her son's life. Her appeal against the death sentence was rejected in 2013.

Senior Law and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra confirmed signing an agreement with British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper for the transfer of Sandiford along with Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old serving a life sentence for drug offenses following his 2014 arrest.

"We agreed to grant the transfers of the prisoners to the UK. The agreement has been signed," Yusril announced at a Jakarta press conference, confirming earlier reports about their planned repatriation.

The transfer will proceed once technical details are finalized, which the minister estimated could take "around two weeks" to complete.

Both prisoners are reportedly experiencing significant health issues. Sandiford has been "examined by our doctor, as well as by the doctor from the British consulate in Bali, and is seriously ill," according to Yusril.

Shahabadi was described as "suffering from various serious illnesses, including mental health issues."

The minister identified Sandiford as 68 years old, though some public records indicate she is 69.

Britain's embassy in Jakarta has directed all inquiries to Indonesian authorities.

It remains unclear whether Sandiford will stay at Bali's overcrowded Kerobokan prison before her transfer or be relocated to another facility.

Indonesia's immigration and corrections ministry reported that as of early November, more than 90 foreigners remained on death row, all for drug-related charges.

Sandiford's case received considerable attention from British tabloids. In one newspaper article she authored, she expressed her fear of execution.

"My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell," she wrote in the Mail on Sunday in 2015.

"I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family."

Originally from Redcar in northeast England, Sandiford wrote that she had planned to sing Perry Como's upbeat hit "Magic Moments" when facing the firing squad.

During her imprisonment, she formed a friendship with Andrew Chan, an Australian who was executed by firing squad for his involvement in the "Bali Nine" drug smuggling operation.

President Prabowo Subianto's administration has repatriated several prominent inmates convicted of drug offenses since taking office in October last year.

In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso emotionally reunited with her family after nearly 15 years on death row.

In February, French national Serge Atlaoui, 61, returned to his homeland after spending 18 years on death row.

Indonesia last executed prisoners in 2016, when one Indonesian citizen and three Nigerian drug convicts were killed by firing squad.

Recent government statements, however, have indicated that executions could potentially resume.