A diplomatic agreement has been reached between the United Kingdom and Indonesia that will see two British citizens transferred from Indonesian prisons to serve their sentences in Britain. The arrangement involves a 68-year-old woman facing capital punishment and a 35-year-old man serving a life term.
The female prisoner, incarcerated since 2012, was arrested at Bali’s airport after customs officials discovered 3.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed within her luggage. During legal proceedings, she maintained that criminal organizations had coerced her into transporting the substances by making threats against her family members. Her death sentence by firing squad was confirmed by Indonesia’s supreme judicial body the following year.
The second individual, detained in 2014 during an international narcotics investigation, was convicted for organizing multiple shipments totaling 30 kilograms of methamphetamine from Iran to Jakarta before his own arrival in Indonesia.
Indonesian authorities cited health concerns regarding the elderly detainee, noting she had undergone medical evaluation by British consular doctors. The justice minister confirmed both nations are finalizing administrative procedures to implement the transfer.
This development occurs within Indonesia’s broader policy of prisoner repatriation through bilateral agreements. The current administration has previously transferred foreign nationals facing severe drug charges back to their home countries, including individuals from the Philippines and Australia.
Indonesia remains a significant transit point for international drug trafficking networks despite implementing stringent anti-narcotics legislation. Recent government statistics indicate approximately 530 individuals await execution in Indonesian prisons, primarily for drug offenses, including nearly 100 foreign nationals. The country last carried out executions in 2016.
