BADUNG, Bali – The Indonesian government has repatriated two British drug convicts, Lindsay June Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, who were serving death and life sentences in Indonesia. The official handover took place at Kerobokan Class IIA Prison, Badung Regency, Bali, on Thursday evening (November 6, 2025), marking a rare international prisoner transfer between Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

Deputy for Immigration and Correctional Affairs at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polhukam Imipas), I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, said the transfer was carried out through close coordination and with great caution. “The Indonesian government ensures that every cross-border prisoner transfer is implemented in an accountable, transparent manner, and in accordance with legal standards. Our approach upholds both law enforcement and human rights,” Surya stated in a written release on Friday (November 7, 2025).

Lindsay June Sandiford (68) was convicted in a narcotics case under Verdict No. 1453 K/PID.SUS/2013 and sentenced to death. She had been serving her sentence at the Kerobokan Women’s Prison in Bali. Meanwhile, Shahab Shahabadi (35) was sentenced to life imprisonment for a separate narcotics case under Verdict No. 104/PID/2015/PT.DKI and had been detained at Kembangkuning Class IIA Prison on Nusa Kambangan Island.

According to Surya, the transfer process was conducted in stages. Shahabadi departed from Nusa Kambangan via Yogyakarta International Airport on Thursday morning (November 6, 2025) en route to Bali. Both inmates were then scheduled to fly to London at 12:30 a.m. local time on Friday (November 7, 2025) via Qatar Airways from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

“This process demonstrates Indonesia’s credibility in international legal cooperation. It reflects our government’s commitment to strengthening governance and cross-border collaboration, while enhancing global trust in Indonesia’s legal and correctional systems,” he added.

The British government, through an official letter from the Prime Minister addressed to the President of Indonesia, expressed its appreciation and gratitude for Indonesia’s support in facilitating the transfer. Kemenko Polhukam Imipas reaffirmed that such prisoner transfer cooperation is part of Indonesia’s ongoing effort to harmonize policies and strengthen international collaboration in the areas of law, human rights, immigration, and corrections.