Margaret Nduta, a 37-year-old Kenyan woman who was sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking, has been spared the death penalty after winning her appeal.
On Thursday, Vietnam’s Supreme Court changed her sentence to life imprisonment, giving her family some hope.
She now has the chance to ask the Vietnamese President for clemency, which might one day allow her to return home, although it’s not guaranteed.
Nduta was convicted after being found in possession of 2 kilograms of narcotics, a charge that previously carried a mandatory death sentence under Vietnam’s criminal code.
Following recent legal amendments, those found guilty of drug offences can now avoid execution, though they may still face up to 40 years in prison.
The case had drawn public attention in Kenya due to the high stakes involved and the tight timeframe the country had to engage diplomatically before the court reached its decision.
