Cameron to raise case of British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford who faces execution for drug trafficking offences with Indonesian President

She is expected to be executed by a firing squad

Michael Segalov
Monday 27 July 2015 16:57 BST
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Linsay Sandiford in prison
Linsay Sandiford in prison

David Cameron will use a state visit to Indonesia to raise the case of a British woman facing execution by the authorities in the south-east Asian country for drugs trafficking offences.

The Prime Minister will raise the case of Lindsay Sandiford when he meets Joko Widodo, the Indonesian premier.

Sandiford, 59 was sentenced to death in Bali in January 2013. She was found guilty of drug trafficking offences after she was found with cocaine worth an estimated £1.6 million as she arrived on the island.

Cameron said he would raise the case of Sandiford, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, "in a way I hope will help the family concerned".

Asked about the case before talks with President Joko Widodo, Mr Cameron said: "On the issue of prisoners, I always raise these issues wherever I travel around the world, and will do so here.

"I want to do it in a way I hope will help the family concerned, and obviously will listen to the concerns of the families and their views before doing these things.

"That is the right way to proceed - to try and help."

In April this year, a group of foreign prisoners were executed by a 13-member firing squad, despite an international outcry from public figures and world leaders. The prisoners, all found guilty of various drugs charges, were nationals of Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia and Brazil.

Sandiford admits the offences but has claimed she was coerced by threats to her son's life. Campaigners are continuing to lobby the Indonesian Government to call off the execution.

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