Bangladesh | Botswana Woman Executed for Drug Trafficking

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Lesedi Molapisi, a Botswana national convicted of drug trafficking, was executed in Bangladesh on Friday, 21 March 2025. The 31-year-old was hanged at Dhaka Central Jail after exhausting all legal avenues to appeal her death sentence.

Molapisi was arrested in January 2023 upon arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, where customs officials discovered 3.1 kilograms of heroin hidden in her luggage. Following a trial under Bangladesh’s Narcotics Control Act, she was sentenced to death in May 2024. Her execution was initially delayed due to political unrest in the country but was carried out last week.

Government officials in Bangladesh reaffirmed their country’s zero-tolerance stance on drug trafficking, citing the case as a warning to international smugglers. “Our laws are strict, and those who break them must face the consequences,” said an official from the Department of Narcotics Control.

Molapisi’s execution has sparked discussions in Botswana, with human rights groups and legal experts questioning the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences. Some activists have called for stronger diplomatic intervention in such cases, arguing that more should be done to protect citizens from severe foreign legal penalties.

Meanwhile, Botswana’s government has remained largely silent on the issue, though sources suggest that consular officials were involved in discussions before the execution.

Molapisi’s family has yet to release a statement, but reports indicate that efforts are underway to repatriate her remains to Botswana for burial.

Bangladesh enforces some of the world’s harshest drug laws, with capital punishment applied to offenders caught with significant quantities of illegal substances. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have long criticised the country’s judicial process, arguing that it often lacks transparency and denies fair trial rights to foreign nationals.

This case has reignited debates over the global fight against drug trafficking and whether capital punishment is an effective deterrent.

While some view Molapisi’s execution as a clear stance against drug crimes, others have condemned it as excessive and inhumane. The incident has also raised concerns about the treatment of foreign nationals in Bangladesh’s legal system, particularly those from African nations who face execution without adequate legal representation.

As the international community continues to debate the implications of Molapisi’s case, her death serves as a grim reminder of the severe penalties associated with drug-related offences in certain jurisdictions.

Source: thezimbabwemail.com, Staff, March 22, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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