Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - An Indonesian grandmother has been freed\nfrom the death penalty after spending around 15 years in prison due to a\nnarcotics case. This case highlights the practices of exploitation\nagainst migrant workers, particularly women in cross-border trafficking\nnetworks.<\/p>\n
The woman is known as Asih (66), although during the legal process\nshe used the name Ani Anggraeni, a name listed by the drug traffickers\non her passport without her knowledge.<\/p>\n
Asih was repatriated to Indonesia after the Governor of Penang,\nMalaysia, granted her a pardon on 19 March, just before Eid al-Fitr.<\/p>\n
Citing the South China Morning Post, Asih claimed she had never\ntravelled abroad before being tricked into carrying drugs across the\nborder in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels unreal, but it\u2019s real. I can only be grateful to return to\nIndonesia and meet my family,\u201d Asih told the South China Morning Post,\nquoted on Sunday (5\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
Asih left Indonesia in 2011 after a woman named Duwi offered her a\njob as a caregiver in Malaysia, promising high wages and covering\naccommodation and travel.<\/p>\n
However, without her knowledge, Duwi falsified Asih\u2019s name on her\npassport and instructed her not to use her real name while\ntravelling.<\/p>\n
This is a tactic used by human traffickers to deceive immigration\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving in Malaysia, Asih was directed to go to Vietnam to pick\nup a suitcase and send it to Duwi\u2019s relatives in Penang. She was\narrested at Penang Airport on 21 June 2011 after authorities found 3.87\nkg of methamphetamine in the bag. A Malaysian court sentenced her to\ndeath under the Dangerous Drugs Act in 2012.<\/p>\n
During her imprisonment, Asih survived endometrial cancer, underwent\na hysterectomy, and experienced several incidents of violence, according\nto news reports.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, Hayat and the Jakarta Community Legal Aid\nInstitute said Asih\u2019s case is more than just a conventional drug\ncharge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a profound narrative of deception, exploitation, and\nsystemic vulnerability,\u201d they stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cunning ways in which women are trapped by human trafficking\nsyndicates, manipulated into illegal operations without ever fully\nunderstanding the reality of their situation,\u201d both parties\nemphasised.<\/p>\n
These groups stated that Asih and women in similar situations are not\nmasterminds, but \u201cvictims of a flawed system that fails to protect\nthem\u201d, and described Asih\u2019s repatriation as an important legal and\nhumanitarian precedent.<\/p>\n
At least eight Indonesian women remain imprisoned in Malaysia after\ntheir death sentences were commuted, according to the groups, adding\nthat they generally come from poor families, recruited with job offers\nor romantic lures, and forced to carry bags containing drugs without\ntheir knowledge.<\/p>\n
Asih\u2019s release comes as Malaysia continues to address the\nconsequences of its 2023 decision to abolish mandatory death penalties,\ngiving judges discretion in 11 offences and allowing resentencing for\nthose already on death row.<\/p>\n
The number of people on death row for drug offences dropped from 705\nin 2024 to 40 in 2025, according to Hayat. A moratorium on executions\nhas been in place since 2018, with the last known execution carried out\nin 2017.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-grandmother-freed-from-death-sentence-after-15-years-in-malaysian-prison-1775652783", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }