Adjournment of sentencing of Yetunde Diya and Yasemin Vatansever

For Immediate Release

The sentencing of two London girls convicted of trafficking cocaine in Ghana has been adjourned to Wednesday, 23 January 2008. This is to allow for a comprehensive social workers’ report on the girls to be provided to the court, as required under Ghanaian law.

“This is an encouraging sign, as it demonstrates that the court is ensuring it is properly informed as to the particular circumstances of the girls before it determines an appropriate sentence for them,” said Fair Trials International Chief Executive, Catherine Wolthuizen.

“Under Ghanaian juvenile justice law, the court must provide for the rehabilitation of the girls when handing down its sentence. While the maximum sentence for this offence is 3 years’ imprisonment, the court has a wide discretion to vary this according to individual circumstances.

“It is our strong view, and the defence submission, that a custodial sentence would be counter-productive to the girls’ rehabilitation, and that there are very compelling mitigating circumstances which the court should take into account.

“These include the particular vulnerability of the girls, their lack of any previous criminal record, their youth and their status as pawns in a larger operation, run by other parties who have not yet been caught or prosecuted.

“The girls have already spent seven months in prison, and the widespread attention which their arrest and trial have attracted have served as sufficient international warning of Ghana’s determination to clamp down on drug trafficking. We urge the court to exercise leniency and for the authorities to focus their efforts on bringing the perpetrators of this trade to justice,” concluded Ms Wolthuizen.