Donna Nelson, a 59-year-old grandmother from Perth, is set to appear in the Tokyo High Court on Thursday to appeal her drug smuggling conviction.
After being sentenced to six years behind bars in a Japanese prison, Donna is hoping to overturn the conviction and secure her freedom.
The brief hearing will determine what evidence can be used in the appeal and whether the appeal will be allowed to proceed.
A Family’s Unwavering Support
Kristal explained that the family is nervous about the upcoming hearing, saying, “We’re hoping that some of the evidence her lawyers have been working on will be admitted, and there’s a witness that they want to have admitted as well.”
A Romance Scam Gone Wrong
Donna, a community leader and former Greens political candidate, has always maintained her innocence, claiming she was the victim of a romance scam.
She told the Japanese court that she had no idea the man she believed she was going to marry had hidden two kilograms of methamphetamine in her suitcase.
The Harsh Reality of Japanese Prisons
Kristal described the harsh conditions her mother is facing in prison, saying, “They don’t get things like TV or anything like that. They’re just alone in their own presence for 23 and a half hours a day.”
Donna has also been denied the right to make phone calls, and communication with her family is limited to very short, restricted prison visits if they are in Japan.
A Glimmer of Hope
Ahead of her appeal hearing, Donna has been transferred to a detention facility in Tokyo, which has no limit on pages for letter-writing.
This has made it easier for her to write home to her five children, three grandchildren, and a fourth grandchild on the way.
Kristal said, “Mum will never tell us how hard it is to cope, but I know it would have been really, really hard for her to feel like she’s not here throughout Janelle’s pregnancy.”
Donna is praying for a miracle, hoping to be home for the birth of her next grandchild, which has made her even more eager and desperate to get home.