Overview
- UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Indonesian minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra signed the repatriation agreement on Tuesday.
- Lindsay Sandiford, 69, and fellow Briton Shahab Shahabadi, 35, are due to be transferred to the UK in about two weeks once administrative and medical clearances are completed.
- Officials describe the move as humanitarian, citing Sandiford’s age, illness and good behaviour, and say both prisoners have significant health problems.
- Sandiford’s 2013 death sentence for smuggling 4.8 kg of cocaine will not be carried out in Indonesia under the transfer arrangement.
- The repatriations reflect a broader recent shift in Indonesia to return high-profile foreign drug convicts, with the UK Foreign Office providing consular support.