British Grandmother With No Criminal Past To Be Executed By Firing Squad In Bali, Government Won’t Help

A 58-year-old British grandmother, Lindsay Sandiford, is set to be executed by firing squad in Bali. The woman was charged with smuggling cocaine into Bali, which resulted in her death sentence. However, the grandmother says that she only smuggled the cocaine in order to save her son who was being threatened with death if she did not help the drug smuggling ring.

Despite providing the Bali police with information about the drug smuggling ring and fully cooperating with their investigation, the woman was sentenced to death as the other smugglers got off with sentences of one to six years in prison. Sandiford is now pleading with the British government to step in and help her with her case, as she has no criminal past and has always paid her taxes. However, the pleas have remained unanswered, and the grandmother could face the firing squad at any moment.

The Daily Mail reports that the grandmother was tossed into a Bali prison after she was found smuggling cocaine into the country. Sandiford explained to the Bali police that her son was in danger, and if she did not cooperate with the drug smuggling ring, they would kill her son. Therefore, police told Sandiford if she provided names and information on the smugglers, she would get a lighter sentence for cooperating. At that point, Sandiford told the police everything she knew but was given the death penalty anyway.

During the trial, the Bali prosecutor asked for just a 15-year sentence, so Sandiford was shocked when she received a sentence of death by firing squad. She notes that after the trial, the prosecutor held her and cried at the injustice of it all, noting that Sandiford had messed with the wrong drug smugglers and this sentence was payback. Meanwhile, the smugglers she had identified received sentences of just one to six years despite organizing the whole exchange.

Now Sandiford has come to terms with the fact she will likely die in the coming days. She notes that she will not wear a blindfold as she wants the firing squad members to look her in the eye when they shoot her. She also notes that she will sing “Magic Moments” as she is brought to face her executioners.

However, Sandiford’s sister Hilary Parsons, is not giving up hope and is trying to raise enough money for her sister to afford a “pk hearing.”

“My only chance of avoiding execution now is to file for what is known as a ‘pk’ hearing, which is effectively a full retrial. I haven’t been able to do this so far because it’s an expensive process and I don’t have the funds, and the British Government will not help me.”

The Bali prison has said they will not announce when the executions are going to take place. However, they have said publicly that they will execute all people on death row for drug offences before the end of 2015. Therefore, it seems that time is running short for Sandiford. The grandmother says that she realizes she made a mistake but is only asking for a fair sentence and trial, not to be let off the hook.

What do you think? Should the British government provide financial assistance or law support to Lindsay Sandiford in an attempt to get a “pk” hearing? Should the grandmother be left to be executed at the hands of the Bali government on the notorious Execution Island?

[Image Credit: Facebook/ Justice and Fairness For Lindsay]