British Grandmother Returns from Indonesia After Death Row Release
On November 7, 2025, Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old British grandmother once sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking, returned to the United Kingdom after being released on humanitarian grounds.
Conviction and Background
Sandiford was convicted in 2013 for smuggling cocaine worth approximately 2.14 million US dollars into Bali. Her case drew international attention due to Indonesia’s extremely strict drug laws, which impose harsh penalties for trafficking offenses.
Humanitarian Release
According to officials from Indonesia’s law and human rights ministry, Sandiford was released along with Shahab Shahabadi, 36, who had been serving a life sentence for narcotics crimes since his 2014 arrest. Both left Bali on a Qatar Airways flight bound for London via Doha.
Arrival in London
Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4, Sandiford was seen in a wheelchair, escorted by security personnel. She did not make any public statement and concealed her face with a jacket while leaving the terminal.
“Two British nationals who were detained in Indonesia have now returned to the UK,” said a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office.
Context
Indonesia has recently eased the sentences of several high-profile detainees, signaling a limited humanitarian shift in its approach to long-term prisoners.
Author’s Summary: A British woman once on Indonesia’s death row for cocaine smuggling was repatriated to the UK on humanitarian grounds after years of imprisonment in Bali.