Appeals for clemency for drug mule

A Botswana national, found with heroin at a Bangladesh airport in 2022, has been sentenced to death. Her father, Goitsemodimo Molapisi, said the Botswana Government and Amnesty International were mounting an appeal. News24 reports that Botswana also practises capital punishment, with 16 inmates on death row. Lesedi Molapisi’s family has pinned their hopes on an appeal. ‘As a family, we have left the matter to the government. It will appeal on our behalf. Amnesty International is also at the forefront of this issue,’ he said. Lesedi was arrested in 2022 at Bangladesh's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The 30-year-old was found to be carrying 3.145kg of heroin. She had arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from SA, which travelled via Doha. President Mokgweetsi Masisi pledged to support the Molapisi family. ‘What is left is an appeal. We will facilitate and provide counselling to the family, and provide some sort of financial support to enable the final appeal,’ Masisi said.