PETALING JAYA: Two Malaysian women who were imprisoned in Iran 13 years ago for drug trafficking have appealed to the home minister for sentence remission, saying they have already endured sufficient punishment.
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In a letter to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, their lawyer M Manoharan said his clients were sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in Tehran in 2013 after being found in possession of drugs.
Manoharan claimed the drugs had been planted in their luggage by an individual who had instructed them to deliver the bags to someone in Iran.
He said the women served six years in an Iranian prison before being transferred back to Malaysia in 2019 to complete the remainder of their sentences under the International Prisoners Transfer Programme, in a swap involving 102 Iranian detainees.
Manoharan said Section 18(a) of the International Transfer of Prisoners Act provides that transferred prisoners should not be denied parole, pardon, respite or commutation of sentence.
According to him, the two women had been transiting through Tehran while travelling to Japan for a holiday, with all travel arrangements managed by a travel agent known to them as “Mathavan”.
“They were unknowingly used as drug mules and were victims of a major syndicate. We hope the minister will grant them a second chance, as their imprisonment has already been more than adequate punishment for their lack of awareness,” he said in the letter seen by FMT.
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He said the women have served a total of 12 years in prison, noting that the younger woman was just 14 years old at the time of her incarceration, while her aunt was 47.
Their behaviour in both Iranian and Malaysian prisons had been exemplary, with no record of misconduct, he added.
Manoharan also said the pair had suffered severe mental and emotional distress while jailed overseas, particularly due to the lack of visitation rights for six years, and argued that a significant portion of their lives should not be spent behind bars.
He said the younger woman, now aged 26, still has her future ahead of her.
“We are appealing for both of them to be granted parole under normal conditions.”
FMT has contacted Saifuddin for a response.
-freemalaysiatoday