By a Correspondent
Botswana has secured the release of citizen Lesedi Molapisi (pictured), who spent more than four years in detention in Bangladesh after being convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to death.
Molapisi, who was arrested in Dhaka on January 23, 2022, was convicted by a Bangladeshi court on May 27, 2024, and sentenced to death after authorities found her in possession of narcotics. Botswana’s government said she has now been released following sustained diplomatic and legal efforts to prevent her execution.
The Botswana government confirmed the development this week, with the country’s Minister for International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale, saying Molapisi had been freed and was expected to return home on Wednesday.
Her release brings to an end years of uncertainty over her fate, during which she remained in prison under a death sentence and faced the prospect of execution in a foreign country.
President Duma Gideon Boko personally appealed to the Bangladeshi authorities for executive clemency and the commutation of Molapisi’s death sentence.
The Ministry of International Relations subsequently pursued the matter through diplomatic channels, with Butale engaging senior Bangladeshi officials over her release.
Botswana’s diplomatic missions in South Africa and India were also involved in coordinating consular assistance and support during the lengthy process.
The government also acknowledged the involvement of individuals and organisations that assisted in efforts to secure Molapisi’s freedom.
The case had attracted considerable attention in Botswana, particularly after false reports circulated in March 2025 claiming that Molapisi had already been executed in Bangladesh.
Those reports were subsequently dismissed, with Botswana officials confirming at the time that she remained alive and that diplomatic and legal efforts were continuing.
Molapisi’s case dates back to her arrest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, where Bangladeshi authorities said she was found carrying about 3.145kg of heroin. She was subsequently prosecuted under Bangladesh’s stringent drug laws and received the death sentence in May 2024.
The death sentence triggered a major diplomatic effort by Botswana to save her life.
Former President Mokgweetsi Masisi had pledged government support for Molapisi following her conviction, while the administration of President Boko later intensified diplomatic efforts for clemency.
The latest intervention ultimately resulted in Bangladesh granting clemency and releasing Molapisi from prison.
Botswana has expressed its appreciation to the Government of Bangladesh for the decision, describing the outcome as a reflection of the strong relations and cooperation between the two countries.
The successful intervention also highlights the role of sustained diplomatic engagement when citizens face serious criminal proceedings and severe sentences abroad.
For Molapisi and her family, her release marks the end of a traumatic four-year ordeal that began with her arrest in 2022 and culminated in a death sentence two years later.
She is now expected to return to Botswana as a free citizen, after spending years under the shadow of possible execution.
