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2009-09-08
By Sarah Mia Haagerup
ScandAsia.com

The Danish woman Johanne Vinther Axelsen who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Cambodia for trying to send thousands of headache pills out of the country had her appeal case rejected Monday by the Cambodian court. Clearly shaken she was led back to prison.

The Danish woman Johanne Vinther Axelsen was both chocked and upset when the Cambodian court decided to reject her appeal and uphold the initial sentence of 15 years in prison. Immediately after the sentence was given she was returned to Correctional Center No.2 in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh where she, according to her lawyer, sits with 45 other prisoners in a 60 square metre cell 23 hours a day.

In January 55 year old Johanne Vinther Axelsen was arrested for trying to send 28 envelopes with 10.761 normal headache pills containing codeine from a post office in Cambodia to America. Johanne Vinther Axelsen send the pills as a favour to her son who had build up a business selling pills to North America. On the 15th of January she was sentenced to 15 years in prison – a verdict that was later appealed.

Evidence destroyed

According to Johanne Vinther Axelsen’s Danish lawyer, Henrik Hasseris Olesen, one of the parcels, which she is convicted of having sent, occurred before she went into the country. He also added that the Cambodian police had indicated to the court that they had destroyed all the envelopes in the case except one.

Johanne Vinther Axelsen's Cambodian defence lawyer, Sok San Muenchen, will now try to appeal to Cambodia's Supreme Court. At the same time her Danish lawyer will try to get her conditions of imprisonment eased through the Danish Foreign Ministry.
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2009-09-08
By Sarah Mia Haagerup
ScandAsia.com