Paraguayan prisoner in Turkey to serve sentence in home country
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A Paraguayan woman sentenced to 15 years in prison in Turkey will serve her sentence in Paraguay.
- The court has calculated her sentence, which ends on March 27, 2036, and is coordinating her transfer.
- She was arrested in March 2021 for drug manufacturing and fined 30,000 Turkish lira.
A Paraguayan national, Eunice Esther Samudio Espรญnola, convicted in Turkey for drug manufacturing, will complete her 15-year sentence in Paraguay. A Paraguayan penal execution court has calculated her sentence, which is set to conclude on March 27, 2036, and is working to facilitate her swift transfer from Istanbul.
According to the court's computation, Samudio would be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of her sentence, on March 27, 2031. She could also apply for conditional release and temporary leave starting September 27, 2028, after completing half of her sentence.
The Turkish authorities requested Paraguay to clearly communicate the dates Samudio would be entitled to conditional or final release if transferred. The process for her transfer began after she submitted a request to the Paraguayan consulate in Turkey on October 10, 2021, stating she had no family or support in Turkey and needed assistance for her transfer.
Samudio, 32, was arrested at Istanbul Airport in March 2021. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 30,000 Turkish lira, equivalent to approximately G. 3.75 million, for manufacturing stimulant drugs. The request for her transfer was filed with the Paraguayan court in November 2022.
(...) by means of this letter I request you to transfer me to my country Paraguay. I was arrested on 27-03-2021 at the airport in Turkey / Istanbul and sentenced to 15 years in prison with a fine of 30,000 Turkish lira. For this reason, I beg you to initiate my transfer process to Paraguay and for any help you can provide me, as I have no family or people who can help me in this country...
Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.