Family of Botswana Drug Mule Hopes for Appeal After Death Sentence in Bangladesh

THE family of Lesedi Molapisi is clinging to hope through an appeal process after she was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Bangladesh on Monday.

Both Amnesty International, which opposes capital punishment in all cases, and the Botswana government, which supports the death penalty for such crimes, are involved in the appeal efforts, according to her father, Goitsemodimo Molapisi.

“We have entrusted the matter to the government, which will appeal on our behalf. Amnesty International is also leading the charge,” said Goitsemodimo Molapisi, commander of the Botswana Police Service at Shakawe Police Station.

Lesedi Molapisi, 30, was arrested in 2022 at Bangladesh’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with 3.145kg of heroin in her possession. She had arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from South Africa, with a stopover in Doha.

Following her arrest, Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lemogang Kwape stated that they would send an envoy to check on her but emphasized that Botswana could not interfere with Bangladeshi law.

After the death sentence was announced on Monday, Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi pledged support for the Molapisi family if they chose to appeal. “We will facilitate and provide counseling to the family and offer some financial support to enable the final appeal,” Masisi told reporters.

Capital Punishment Debate

Amnesty International remains steadfast in its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime, the individual’s guilt, or the methods employed by a state to carry it out.

In Botswana, where capital punishment is legal, Molapisi’s case has reignited interest in ongoing constitutional amendments regarding the death penalty. Executions in Botswana are carried out by hanging.

President Masisi noted that there is significant support for the death penalty in Botswana, particularly for serious crimes such as drug smuggling. “In our consultation for the constitutional review, Batswana expressed views similar to those of the country where she is being sentenced. There are strong sentiments about involvement in the drug trade,” he said.

Currently, there are 16 death row inmates in Botswana. The latest addition is Thato Tsametse, 34, who was sentenced to death by the Lobatse High Court on May 23 for the 2018 murder of his 16-year-old cousin, Arnold Ofentse, for insurance money.

The Botswana Centre for Human Rights has condemned the sentencing of Tsametse and the other death row inmates, calling for a re-evaluation of the country’s stance on capital punishment.