Indonesia is set to repatriate two British nationals convicted of drug trafficking, including Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old grandmother who has spent more than a decade on death row in Bali.

The agreement, expected to be signed today, marks a significant shift in Jakarta’s approach to capital punishment amid mounting international pressure.

Sandiford, originally from Redcar, England, was arrested in 2013 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport with 5kg of cocaine concealed in her luggage. She claimed she was coerced by a drug syndicate threatening her son. Convicted under Indonesia’s strict narcotics laws, she was sentenced to death and has since remained in Kerobokan Prison, where she once wrote in a 2015 letter: “My execution is imminent… I could be taken tomorrow.”

She reportedly befriended fellow death row inmate Andrew Chan of the Bali Nine, who was executed in 2016, and had planned to sing Perry Como’s “Magic Moments” in her final moments.

Also slated for repatriation is Shahab Shahabadi, 35, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for narcotics trafficking. Their return is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s broader initiative to repatriate high-profile foreign inmates. The Coordinating Ministry for Legal Affairs is expected to hold a joint press conference with the British ambassador, though specific timelines remain unclear.

Sandiford’s case has drawn international attention over the years. Libya requested her release in 2023, citing deteriorating health following a hunger strike, while Lebanon reportedly held her incommunicado during a transfer attempt.

Indonesia, which last carried out executions in 2016, has recently repatriated other foreign inmates, including Filipina Mary Jane Veloso in December 2024 and French national Serge Atlaoui in February 2025. Currently, more than 90 foreigners remain on death row in Indonesia, all for drug-related offenses.

The move signals a potential softening of Indonesia’s stance on capital punishment, as global advocacy groups continue to press for clemency and reform.