---
title: "British woman on death row leaves Indonesia after repatriation deal"
description: "BALI, Indonesia, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A 69-year-old British woman who was on death row in Indonesia on drug offences departed the country early on Friday after Jakarta and London reached a deal to repatriate her and another prisoner on humanitarian grounds."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-07-british-woman-on-death-row-leaves-indonesia-after-repatriation-deal/"
published: "2025-11-07T04:37:39"
updated: "2025-11-07T04:37:40"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 258
---

# British woman on death row leaves Indonesia after repatriation deal

> BALI, Indonesia, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A 69-year-old British woman who was on death row in Indonesia on drug offences departed the country early on Friday after Jakarta and London reached a deal to repatriate her and another prisoner on humanitarian grounds.

By Reuters · Published 7 November 2025, 06:37 SAST · Updated 7 November 2025, 06:37 SAST

## Key points
- In a plot twist worthy of a Bali blockbuster, Lindsay Sandiford, the suitcase smuggler with a penchant for high-stakes vacations, has swapped her prison cell for a wheelchair-bound repatriation to the UK, leaving behind the tropical paradise of incarceration for a second act under the watchful eyes of British law.
- Lindsay Sandiford, sentenced in 2013 for smuggling 4.8 kg of cocaine, was repatriated to the UK due to her age and health.
- She traveled alongside fellow British national Shahab Shahabadi, who was serving a life sentence for drug offenses.
- The repatriation flight departed Bali at 12:30 a.m. on Friday, with Sandiford attending a press conference in a wheelchair.
- The agreement allows for reciprocal repatriation, although Indonesia has not yet requested the return of its nationals from the UK.

## Content

Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced in 2013 after she was found with 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) of cocaine, estimated to be worth more than $2 million, hidden in the lining of her suitcase when she arrived on the holiday island of Bali from Bangkok.

A second British national who was serving a life sentence for drug offences, Shahab Shahabadi, was repatriated with Sandiford.

The plane taking them to London left Bali at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, said I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, an Indonesian government official.

Last month, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a senior Indonesian minister for legal affairs, said the two countries had [agreed to repatriate](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3W20BC&linkedFromStory=true) Sandiford as she was old and unwell, and she would complete her sentence in Britain.

At a press conference in Bali's Kerobokan prison hours before the repatriation flight departed, Britain's deputy ambassador Matthew Downing said Sandiford would be "governed by the law and procedures of the UK", but said he would not speculate about any legal processes she might face.

Sandiford attended the press conference in a wheelchair, but did not speak and covered her face with her hands.

Downing said the agreement with Jakarta is reciprocal and that the Southeast Asian country can request the return of Indonesians in Britain, though no request had been made so far.

In the past year, Indonesia has released some other foreigners on death row, including [five Australians](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3NG01D&linkedFromStory=true), a [French man](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3OV0C6&linkedFromStory=true) and a [Filipino woman](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3NJ024&linkedFromStory=true).

(Reporting by Sultan Anshori and Johannes P. Christo in Bali; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by John Mair)