Lindsay Sandiford, 69, and Shahab Shahabadi, 36, have been repatriated from Bali to the UK under a humanitarian transfer agreement. They departed Bali on a Qatar Airways flight after a formal handover at Kerobokan prison and will undergo medical assessments and treatment on arrival. The transfer followed a bilateral deal signed last month and comes amid other high-profile repatriations under Indonesia's current administration.
British grandmother on Bali death row flown home to UK after humanitarian transfer
Lindsay Sandiford, 69, and Shahab Shahabadi, 36, have been repatriated from Bali to the UK under a humanitarian transfer agreement. They departed Bali on a Qatar Airways flight after a formal handover at Kerobokan prison and will undergo medical assessments and treatment on arrival. The transfer followed a bilateral deal signed last month and comes amid other high-profile repatriations under Indonesia's current administration.
09:51, 07.11.2025Society
Two British nationals convicted of drug offences — including 69-year-old Lindsay Sandiford, who was sentenced to death in Bali in 2013 — have been repatriated to the United Kingdom under a bilateral humanitarian transfer agreement.
The pair, Sandiford and 36-year-old Shahab Shahabadi (serving a life term for drug offences after his 2014 arrest), left Bali on a Qatar Airways flight bound for London via Doha following a formal handover at Kerobokan prison. An official from Indonesia's law and human rights ministry confirmed the transfer to AFP.
Official handover and legal arrangements
Authorities presented the two prisoners to the media during a handover ceremony; Sandiford shielded her face during the event. I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, an Indonesian ministry official, said their "detention will be moved to the United Kingdom" under the bilateral agreement and that the UK government will assume legal responsibility for decisions about them while respecting Indonesia's prior rulings.
Health and humanitarian grounds
The repatriation follows a transfer agreement signed last month between Indonesia's senior law and human rights minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and British foreign minister Yvette Cooper. British deputy ambassador Matthew Downing said the move was made on "humanitarian grounds" and that the immediate priority upon arrival in the UK will be medical assessment, treatment and any necessary rehabilitation.
Sandiford has been described by Indonesian officials as "seriously ill," while Shahabadi has reportedly suffered multiple serious ailments, including mental health problems.
Case background
Sandiford was arrested after customs officers found cocaine estimated at about $2.14 million concealed in a false bottom of her suitcase when she arrived in Bali in 2012. She pleaded guilty but has said she agreed to carry the drugs after members of a trafficking syndicate allegedly threatened to kill her son.
Shahabadi was arrested in 2014 and had been serving a life sentence for drug-related offences.
Context and wider policy
Indonesia enforces some of the world's toughest drug laws and, as of August, nearly 600 inmates remained on death row according to rights group KontraS, with roughly 90 of those prisoners listed as foreign nationals. The country last carried out executions in 2016.
Since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024, his administration has overseen several high-profile repatriations, including members of the so-called "Bali Nine." Recent returns have included Filipina Mary Jane Veloso and French national Serge Atlaoui, both of whom spent many years on death row before repatriation.
British officials say Sandiford and Shahabadi will be subject to UK laws and procedures after arrival. The case remains sensitive, touching on issues of international prisoner transfer, humanitarian concerns, and Indonesia's strict anti-drug enforcement.