Indonesia has signed an agreement to repatriate two British nationals, including Lindsay Sandiford — a grandmother who has spent over a decade on death row for drug trafficking — officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Sandiford, now in her late 60s, was sentenced to death in 2013 after Indonesian customs officers discovered cocaine worth an estimated $2.14 million hidden in a false compartment of her suitcase when she arrived in Bali from Thailand in 2012.
She admitted to the offence but told the court she acted under duress after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. Her appeal against the death sentence was dismissed the following year.
Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia’s Senior Law and Human Rights Minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said he had signed the repatriation deal with British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper, confirming the planned transfer of Sandiford and another inmate, Shahab Shahabadi, who is serving a life sentence for drug offences.
“We agreed to grant the transfer of the prisoners to the UK. The agreement has been signed,” Yusril said, adding that the handover could take place within two weeks once technical arrangements are finalized.
Both prisoners are reported to be in poor health. Sandiford, who has been examined by both Indonesian and British doctors, is said to be “seriously ill,” while Shahabadi reportedly suffers from multiple health and mental conditions.
Sandiford’s case drew widespread media attention in the UK, particularly after she penned a 2015 article expressing fear of execution and revealing she had begun writing goodbye letters to her family.
Since President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, Indonesia has repatriated several high-profile foreign inmates convicted of drug offences, including a Filipina and a French national who spent nearly two decades on death row.
Although Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, the government recently hinted at the possibility of resuming them.
