A British woman who has been on death row for more than a decade has received a significant update regarding her circumstances.
Grandmother Lindsay Sandiford was apprehended in 2012 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport for attempting to smuggle $2.1 million worth of cocaine (approximately 11 lbs) hidden in a false bottom of her suitcase, arriving from Bangkok, Thailand.
Due to Indonesia’s stringent drug trafficking laws, she was sentenced to death by firing squad the following year.
She maintained that she only agreed to carry the drugs because a drug syndicate had threatened her son’s life.
Sandiford has spent over ten years in prison at the infamous Kerobokan, seemingly coming to terms with the possibility that any day could be her last.
Heather Mack, who previously served a 10-year sentence in the same prison, spoke to the Mirror about Sandiford losing hope and her final wish concerning her execution.
For her final wish, Sandiford requested that her family not attend her execution and that they refrain from making a fuss.
She commented: “My attitude is ‘If you want to shoot me, shoot me. Get on with it.”
The prison has been noted for its severe overcrowding, and Sandiford has reportedly been sharing a 10ft by 8ft cell with 13 other women, although it is intended to house just three.
However, the 69-year-old is unlikely to face this situation much longer as she is set to be repatriated and returned to the UK as part of an agreement between the two countries.
She is scheduled to be flown back to the UK today, despite having previously lost hope of release.
Mack also noted that Sandiford had been spending her days mostly alone in her cell and had ceased interacting with other prisoners.
She mentioned that they had witnessed two other inmates being taken away for execution, despite making significant changes in their lives.
She added: “They had turned their lives around and were different people to when they were convicted, so everyone thought they would be OK, but when Lindsay witnessed them being taken away to face death, she realized that her own end was nearing. That’s when the stark reality set in.”
According to the Myanmar Accountability Project, a death sentence may be converted to a life imprisonment term.
This depends on whether the prisoner demonstrates a ‘commendable attitude and actions’.
Sandiford, having spent more than a decade in prison and shown good behavior, was expected by some to have been released months ago.
UNILAD has contacted the UK foreign office for comment.