An Indonesian woman who spent nearly 15 years on death row in a Malaysian prison for drug trafficking has returned home after receiving clemency, in a case rights groups say highlights the exploitation of poor migrant women in cross-border drug operations.
Ani Anggraeni, also known as Asih, boarded a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta late on Thursday after being freed from custody.
In a video message shared with This Week in Asia while en route, the 66-year-old said she was still struggling to process her release.
“I feel like it’s unreal, but it’s real,” she said. “I don’t know what to say. I can only be grateful to return to Indonesia and meet my family. Thank you very much for helping me.”
The grandmother of four added that she was “nervous [but] eager to get home”.
Ani’s release closes a chapter that began in 2011, when she left Indonesia after being promised a job as a carer in Malaysia, according to rights groups assisting her case.
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