Lesedi Molapisi, Botswana national smuggling drugs executed in Bangladesh

By: Natasha Archary

Lesedi Molapisi, a Botswana national was executed in Bangladesh on Friday, 25 November for smuggling drugs into the country.

The 30-year old was arrested in January for carrying over 3kg of heroin inside her luggage.

Lesedi too a Qatar Airways flight from Johannesburg to Bangladesh via Doha, and was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh on arrival.

Bangladesh has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, and in 2018 approved a law prescribing the death penalty for drug offences.

This after the Bangladesh government and law enforcement received heavy criticism for gunning down more than 200 people in an anti-drug crackdown.

Lesedi Molapisi remained in prison in Bangladesh while the trial against her continued. She was sentenced to death after being found guilty and her execution was set for Friday.

While her sentencing has raised international concern, the Botswana government could only intervene in instances where a national was found dead or the victim of crime.

Bangladesh adopts capital punishment for 33 criminal offences and the method of execution is hanging to death by the neck as provided in the Criminal Procedure Code.

As of June 2021, the number of death-row convicts had crossed over 2000, with more than 1,300 appeals to date.

Prior to her execution, Lesedi would have been in solitary confinement, as death-row inmates have harsher constraints imposed than other prisoners.

The cells where death-row prisoners are incarcerated, are designed to restrict the accused of sunshine, fresh air and socialisation with other prisoners.

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