HANOI - An appeals court in Vietnam has commuted the death sentence of a 73-year-old Australian woman convicted of heroin trafficking. The online state media outlet Vietnamnet quoted the People's High Court in Ho Chi Minh City as citing Nguyen Thi Huong's sincere confession and age for granting leniency. The sentence was reduced to life in prison at the appeals trial Monday. Ms Huong was sentenced to death in June after being convicted of trafficking 3.5 pounds of heroin. Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws where trafficking even small amounts of heroin is punishable by death.

Source: Bangkok Post November 22, 2016 09:16 UTC