A Redcar gran’s hopes she will be spared execution for drug smuggling are fading after the Indonesian president said there was no possibility of mercy.
Lindsay Sandiford is running out of options after President Joko Widodo of Indonesia said her and other drug smugglers’ executions would go ahead despite intense pressure from foreign governments.
Sandiford, 58, a former legal secretary from Redcar, faces the death squad in a few weeks. She was arrested at Bali airport in May 2012 with £15m of cocaine.
She claims she was forced to transport the drugs to protect her son, whose safety was at stake.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stated the UK’s opposition against the death penalty to President Widodo this month.
But the president was reported to have said yesterday: “There should not be any [foreign] intervention towards the death penalty because it is our sovereign right to exercise our law.”
In January, six traffickers - including five foreign nationals - were executed. A second round of executions involving 11 people is expected in coming days.
Mr Hammond spoke with Jusuf Kalla, the Vice President of Indonesia, and Foreign Minister Ibu Retno about the UK’s position about capital punishment.
Last week Sandiford’s sister Hilary Parsons flew to Bali with three lawyers in a last ditch attempt to save her sister’s life
All of Sandiford’s appeals so far have been denied.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman previously said “The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all circumstances without exception.
“We have recently made representations about the death penalty to the Indonesian government, and we will continue to do so.
“We continue to offer consular assistance to Lindsay Sandiford and her family at this difficult time.”
Sandiford’s final appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court last April. Her last hope is to request a judicial review.
The Foreign Office has previously said that it had consistently provided and offered consular support to Sandiford, which she at the time declined to accept.
No comments:
Post a Comment