Bali drugs case: Lindsay Sandiford loses death sentence appeal

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

A British woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking in the island of Bali has had her appeal rejected.

An Indonesian Supreme Court spokesman said it would not overturn the sentence handed down by two lower courts on 57-year-old Lindsay Sandiford, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Sandiford was sentenced to death by firing squad in January for smuggling 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine.

=snip=

Following her conviction, the prosecution recommended 15 years imprisonment but a panel of judges later sentenced Sandiford to death.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23894761

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More from the Guardian...

Drug-trafficking British woman in Bali loses appeal against death sentence

=snip=

They (the prosecutors) had recommended she should serve 15 years in prison, but Denpasar district court handed down a death sentence. She appealed in the Indonesia high court and lost. That decision was upheld in Thursday's ruling. She must now apply for a judicial review from the same court. If that fails, her only hope is for clemency by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Sandiford, a grandmother who has two sons aged 24 and 22, has insisted that she was a drug mule forced to transport the cocaine to protect her children. She is being held in Kerobokan jail, nicknamed Hotel K by inmates, where she shares a cramped cell with 12 other women, and is said to be in a state of deep depression.

Most people sentenced to death for drug offences in Indonesia fail to have their sentences reduced on appeal. They face a long wait in jail before being executed by firing squad. The country has one of the strictest drug policies in the world, with about 40 foreigners on death row convicted of drug crimes, according to a March 2012 report by Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Five foreigners have been executed since 1998, all for drug crimes, according to Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy. There have been no executions since 2008, when 10 people were put to death.

More: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/drug-trafficking-briton-death-sentence-appeal

[BainsBane]

1. So what's the story here?

Was she really part of a drug ring? Why was one woman released after just a year and this one sentenced to death?

[kelliekat44]

13. These people don't want drugs in their countries? nt

[darkangel218]

2. What a bunch of crap!!

She didn't kill anyone! Yes, what she did was wrong, and should be punished. But DEATH sentence over smuggling drugs?? Wtf has this world come to.

[iamthebandfanman]

4. while indonesian courts

are known for their corruption and bribes...

harsh drug laws are pretty common in the region...

Singapore has the same type of punishment (death) for drugs as well :p

[xocet]

5. What does :p mean in this context? n/t

[markpkessinger]

6. Back in the '70s, the State Department produced some PSAs that ran on the major networks...

...about the danger of getting caught with drugs in foreign countries. They pointed out that many countries had much harsher drug laws than the U.S. (this was before the "War on Drugs" here had ramped to the insane level it is now. They said that while the U.S. government would do whatever it could to get American citizens who were arrested on drug charges out of foreign prisons and bring them home, travelers needed to understand that when traveling in a foreign country, one is subject to the laws of that country, such as they may be, and that defendants in many foreign courts did not provide the kinds of protections for the rights of accused persons as Americans were accustomed to. In short, "if you get caught, we can't make any promises as to what we will be able to do for you."

[Sunlei]

3. there is no doubt people are "drug mule forced" with threats to family.Indonesia courts are wrong!

I hope the UK (and other countries who mule with threats, work with Indonesia.

Set some kind of way for any future drug mules under threats to have an option that saves them from arrest and keeps their family from being killed. Even a sign in the airport at the security search would help.

[geek tragedy]

7. Yet the Bali bombers were given a slap on the wrist.

Gotta love Sharia.

[Turborama]

8. Indonesia is not ruled by Sharia law, it is a democracy with a constitution

And the Bali bombers were executed.

BTW Bali is a Hindu island.

[christx30]

9. Why anyone would go to Singapore,

I'll never know. It's a beautiful country, but it's government is a vicious rabid dog that can turn on anyone at any time. And when they do turn on you, it comes without warning and mercy. My happy ass is gonna stay here in the US. For all its flaws, its still simi sane.

[tammywammy]

12. Singapore and Bali aren't the same place. n/t

[olddots]

10. many Brits I know want to move to Bali

hope they hear about how the place operates legally before they make the move .

[Judi Lynn]

11. Horrible news. Guns, too. Capital punishment is wrong in every situation. n/t