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| Lesedi Molapisi |
The Government of Botswana has announced the release of Lesedi Molapisi from a Bangladeshi prison, where she had been held after being sentenced to death for a drug smuggling offence.
Molapisi was arrested on January 23, 2022, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after authorities found her in possession of narcotics. She was later convicted of a drug smuggling offence and sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi court on May 27, 2024.
Her release, confirmed in a press statement issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, followed sustained diplomatic and legal efforts by the Botswana government to secure her freedom. The statement described the outcome as the result of concerted advocacy, including a personal appeal by President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko for executive clemency and the commutation of her death sentence.
At the instruction of President Boko, the Ministry of International Relations actively handled Molapisi’s case through diplomatic channels. The Minister of International Relations, Dr. Phenyo Butale, engaged with Bangladesh’s former Interim Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammed Yunus, as well as the country’s current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, regarding her release.
Botswana’s diplomatic missions in South Africa and India also played a role by providing consular support and facilitating communications. In addition, the government collaborated with local and international human rights organisations, including Ditshwanelo, to ensure Molapisi received appropriate legal representation throughout the process.
Following her release, the Botswana Government expressed deep appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for granting clemency. Officials described the development as a testament to the strong bonds of cooperation between the two countries, founded on mutual respect. They noted that such collaboration ultimately benefits both nations and their peoples.
Molapisi’s release comes more than four years after her arrest in Dhaka and more than two years after she was sentenced to death. The case had drawn significant attention in Botswana because of the severity of the sentence and the possibility that a Botswana citizen could be executed in a foreign country.
The successful diplomatic effort highlights the role of high-level engagement and sustained advocacy in resolving sensitive consular cases involving the death penalty. For Molapisi, the decision brings an end to a prolonged period of uncertainty and marks her return to freedom after years in a foreign prison.