There has been a significant development in the ongoing situation involving Lindsay Sandiford, a British grandmother who has been on death row in Indonesia for more than 12 years. Sandiford, now 69, was apprehended in May 2012 with about 11 pounds of cocaine in her suitcase, a quantity valued at approximately $2.1 million.
Sandiford initially claimed that she was coerced into smuggling the drugs by a criminal gang who allegedly threatened her son’s life. Nonetheless, she was found guilty and sentenced to death in Indonesia in January 2013.
Recently, it was announced that Sandiford is set to be released and allowed to return to the UK. This marks a major update in her case.
An official from the Indonesian government shared: “The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed.”
However, on Thursday (October 23), Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a senior Indonesian minister for legal affairs, provided an update stating that Sandiford is ‘seriously ill’ and had been seen by a doctor from the British consulate.
“Lindsay is old and sick,” he informed Reuters.
“In prison, she exhibited good behavior, which was reason enough for the UK government to request her repatriation, allowing her to serve out her sentence at home.”
One of Sandiford’s supporters, Rev. Christie Buckingham, a pastor at Bayside Church in Melbourne, who is currently in Indonesia, expressed gratitude for the decision.
“We are deeply grateful for the courageous compassion shown by President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government in their commitment to repatriate Lindsay Sandiford on humanitarian grounds,” Buckingham told Metro.
“After 13 years, she is eager to return home to her family. She will always be thankful for this second chance.”
Despite having previously lost hope of release, Sandiford is now preparing to return to the UK.
Heather Mack, a former inmate who served a 10-year sentence in the same prison, spoke to the Mirror about Sandiford’s loss of hope and her final wishes regarding her execution.
Sandiford had expressed that she did not want her family present for her execution and hoped they would not make a fuss about it. “My attitude is ‘If you want to shoot me, shoot me. Get on with it’,” she stated.
According to Mack, Sandiford had been spending most of her time in isolation, choosing not to interact with other prisoners.