FREE ANNELINE MOUTON FROM MAURITIAN JAIL

Dear Friends

Below is an appeal that I have formulated to persuade the Mauritian authorities to release Anneline Mouton on time served. She has been there for 9 years years, and has now served nearly 7 years of a 10 year sentence. She spent 2 years on remand.These two years do not count towards her sentence in Mauritius.

She was convicted on a charge of drug trafficking. She was asked by friends to go to Mauritius and bring money back for them and was offered R10 000 and a holiday in exchange. She was in a desperate situation, about to be retrenched and a baby on the way so the offer was very tempting. They gave her a gift at the airport which was stuffed with 674 grams of heroin - unbeknown to her!

As so often is the case, the Mauritian police were tipped off about Anneline's arrival. This is undoubtedly the result of crooked cops on the South African side as the authorities could have stopped her here, and she was caught while the REAL DRUG TRAFFICKER got through with his substantial haul of drugs - unscathed!! This is how it works, they send a decoy for the cops to arrest - those people are MEANT to get arrested so that the real one gets through. Corruption is rife in our police force - we hear about it every single day!

Due to the weight of evidence against her, Anneline was persuaded to plead guilty to the charge, even though she was innocent, the alternative was a 25 to 40 year sentence. This story is repeated over and over by other South Africans in the same situation in jails all over the world. Annie is suffering from depression and malnutrition and is desperately missing her family and friends. She gets no visitors and is very lonely! She doesn't deserve to be there.

The Mauritian Government is more than willing to release South African prisoners to our Prison Authorities, but the South African Government refuses to sign a prisoner transfer agreement. A judgement was recently passed on a court case brought by a mother with a son in a Mauritian Jail, and again our Government refuses to agree to sign the agreement. This case subsequently referred  to the Constitutional Court but they refused to rule on the issue. We are one of only two countries in the world that don't bring prisoners home to serve their sentences close to families and friends. Even people who are guilty deserve this - it is a human rights issue!

Please, please sign this petition and forward to anyone you feel would have a heart to help us get Annie freed during the course of 2011. An appeal is to go before the Prerogative of Mercy in Mauritius and this petition will strengthen that appeal. Thank you to everyone who has already signed.

ANNELINE MOUTON

CURRENTLY HELD IN BEAU BASSIN WOMEN%u2019S PRISON

MAURITIUS

PETITION FOR GRACE PARDON AND MERCY

FROM THE COMMISSION FOR THE PREROGATIVE OF MERCY IN MAURITIUS

15th December 2010

Anneline Mouton is a 36 year old South African woman who was arrested in Mauritius in 2002 for possession and trafficking of 674 grams of heroin. Anneline %u2013 with no previous record %u2013 a first offender %u2013 was the victim of unscrupulous criminals who preyed on her vulnerability and desperation in the face of retrenchment from her job and a pregnancy for which she had been deserted by the baby%u2019s father. Sadly she subsequently miscarried her baby whilst on remand.

After spending two years on remand, Anneline was sentenced to 10 years in prison of which sentence she has served 6 years and 6 months.

Date of Arrest: 30th June 2002

Date of Trial: 14/15th June 2004

Length of Sentence: 10 years

Time spent on Remand: 2 years

Total time expected: 12 years

Total Amount of Time Served: 8 years and 10 months

BASIS FOR PETITION FOR GRACE AND PARDON

Anneline is a good person. She has a heart of gold. She would never hurt a soul. She has no previous convictions for any offences in her home country, a fact that was not presented at her trial. If it wasn%u2019t for the desperate situation she found herself in she would never have agreed to participate in the dastardly plan that has been the cause of her incarceration for the last 8 and half years of her young life. During her time in prison she has been a model prisoner. She has participated in rehabilitation classes and studied hard to further her education, passing her recent examinations with distinction. 

She comes from a middle class family who have tried to support Anneline to the best of their ability and to provide her with the basics that she needs to remain healthy. Her father contributed towards her trial and paid for various educational courses so that Anneline could further her education. He is however now on pension and is unable to assist her further and her mother suffers from chronic health problems and is under severe stress. The whole family has suffered tremendously and Anneline now wishes for the opportunity to assist her family in the future. 

Anneline herself suffers from mood swings (bipolar syndrome) and is on medication for depression and other conditions. She has suffered from malnutrition due to poor sustenance and has been virtually comatose due to low blood sugar levels at times. 

Anneline has learnt a hard lesson. She has grown and matured, and has only a desire to help others to see the error of their ways, and to not fall into the same trap she fell into. If Anneline is released she will be a meaningful member of society, not only because she will utilize the learning and skills she has obtained whilst in prison, but because of the empathy and understanding that she has gained from this experience. 

The Mauritian Government is fully entitled to protect itself and its people by stemming the tide of drugs into their country, debilitating its people. We can fully imagine the frustration of the Authorities and support their efforts in catching the culprits. We applaud the Mauritian Government in offering the South African Authorities a Prisoner Transfer Agreement even though the South African Government has chosen not to accept this generous offer.

Keeping Anneline in prison any longer will serve no purpose, other than to drain the resources of a country that, we are certain, can better utilize them elsewhere. 

OUR REQUEST

We respectfully petition your good selves to release Anneline from her remaining prison sentence, not just to reduce her sentence by the two years she spent in remand. Effectively she has already spent 8 and a half years in your country's prison system and it is high time that she returns to her own country and society as a useful and productive member. We understand that Anneline could have spent her prison term in her own country, close to family and friends, if it wasn't for our own Governments refusal to sign the Prisoner Transfer Agreement. Without having that option, we now plead with you to release Anneline immediately so that she can go about putting her life back together in a useful and productive way.

Anneline now has the motivation to use her experiences as a powerful opportunity to motivate and encourage others who may be headed down the same path she took. She will better serve mankind by being at home than by being in prison.

CONCLUSION

It is our understanding that your organisation has the power to reduce her sentence to time served and we urge you to use those powers to full force and effect and to release ANNELINE MOUTON at the earliest opportunity.

This petition is respectfully submitted by me, SHARON ELAINE DUGGAN, an adult South African woman of 56 years, who has had the privilege of knowing Anneline for many years. It is my firm belief that Anneline has the ability to turn her life around and to contribute to society in general and her family and loved ones in particular, in a meaningful and productive way.

Anneline will have the support of family and friends in her new life. We are more than willing and capable of sponsoring and supporting her until she finds her place in society once more. Please consider this request seriously and with the utmost of care. A fragile life depends upon your decision...

SHARON DUGGAN

13 Keukendal Way

Edgemead 7441

Cape Town, South Africa

sharduggan@gmail.com

0027 21 5582760

0027 82 4466634