Photo Of Botswana Lady Hanged in Bangladesh for Drug Trafficking as Kenya Awaits Margaret Nduta’s Fate

A Botswana woman, Lesedi Molapisi, has been executed in Bangladesh today after being found guilty of drug trafficking. Molapisi was hanged at 10:30 a.m. local time (GMT+6) on Friday.

She had been sentenced to death in May last year for smuggling over 3 kilograms of heroin into the country.

Her execution was delayed for several months due to political unrest in Bangladesh. However, authorities proceeded with the sentence today, ending hopes of a possible appeal. 

Gilbert Mangole, Botswana's High Commissioner to India, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries, had recently said that a Bangladeshi appeals court had not yet set a hearing date for Molapisi's case. Despite these remarks, the execution went ahead as scheduled.

Molapisi's story has caught the attention of many, especially as it unfolds alongside the case of Kenyan national Nduta, who is facing a similar fate in Vietnam.

Nduta was set to be hanged this past Sunday over drug charges, but there has been no official update about her situation. Her family and supporters remain anxious, hoping for a last-minute intervention.

Molapisi's tragic end serves as a grim reminder of the severe consequences of drug trafficking in countries with strict anti-drug laws.

Both Bangladesh and Vietnam have harsh penalties for drug offenses, including the death penalty, and are known for their uncompromising stance on drug-related crimes.

But even as news of Molapisi's execution spreads, there is growing concern over Ndua's fate. Human rights groups have called for a fair trial and clemency in cases where the accused may have been exploited by international drug cartels.

This comes just a day after Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi made it clear that the government does not intend to market Kenya as a conduit for illicit trade, whether drugs or human trafficking, or any other contraband, or even illicit firearms. 

Mudavadi said Vietnam has got its own judicial processes different from Kenya’s and that Ndua could be on her own