Lesedi Molapisi spared from death by hanging in Bangladesh over drug conviction
Botswana national Lesedi Molapisi has been released from a Bangladeshi prison after receiving executive clemency, sparing her from a death sentence for drug trafficking. Her release followed significant diplomatic efforts by the Botswana government.
Why it matters
The case highlights the effectiveness of high-level diplomatic intervention in capital punishment cases and underscores the ongoing debate regarding the death penalty in Southern Africa.
0 Lesedi Molapisi; presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Duma Boko. Image: X and WEF Home » Lesedi Molapisi spared from death by hanging in Bangladesh over drug conviction
Molapisi has been released from a Bangladeshi prison, while last week Ashley Oosthuizen – an SA woman jailed in Thailand for drug charges – also got closer to freedom.
0 Lesedi Molapisi; presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Duma Boko. Image: X and WEF Botswana national Lesedi Molapisi has been released from a Bangladeshi prison after receiving executive clemency from the government of Bangladesh on 1 September 2026, sparing her from a 2024 death sentence.
Molapisi, 34, had been facing execution by hanging after her arrest at Dhaka’s international airport in January 2022, when she was caught with three kilograms of heroin.
According to an official Botswana government statement, her release follows intense diplomatic interventions led by President Duma Boko and others.
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