By Iain Axon
April 21 (Reuters) - Jarred Shaw's globe-trotting basketball career has taken him to 20 different teams across the world but a stint in Indonesia has resulted in the American languishing in jail with deteriorating health after falling foul of the country's notoriously tough anti-narcotics laws. The 35-year-old Texan admitted to importing 132 cannabis gummies but only to help relieve the symptoms of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract which can be eased by Tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) as well as steroids and immunosuppressants. While drug trafficking can be punishable by death in Indonesia, Shaw was last December found guilty of the lesser charge of possession and sentenced to 26 months in prison in Tangerang, the city where he had been playing for the Hawks club in the Indonesian Basketball League. The former Oklahoma State and Utah State forward told Reuters that incarceration had been disastrous for his health and is pleading for international pressure to be put on the Indonesian authorities to release him before he suffers permanent damage.
"I've been through a lot, man," he said by phone from a prison cell he shares with seven other people.
"Dealing with my health is taking a toll on me. I'm just trying to get back to my family, my mom. My main thing is my health deteriorating. "Being in Indonesian custody doesn't serve anything to the country of Indonesia, especially with my Crohn's. I feel like I am having to battle every day, I don't feel like I need to continue to have to deal with that.
"I'm very apologetic for breaking the law. I'm not disregarding that, but at the same time I need to take care of my health."
The Indonesian authorities said they were providing Shaw with help. "There are no difficulties in accessing medical treatments as it is already provided," said Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, a Deputy for Immigration and Correctional at Indonesia’s ministry for law and human rights affairs. "He (Shaw) is currently in the process of finalising administrative arrangements for further treatment at (a) Jakarta hospital."
Shaw said he had received some medical assistance but it fell short of the specialist care he needed. He has already been stricken with diarrhoea and has tested positive for E.coli.
"STOMACH ACHES, NAUSEA, THROWING UP"
Describing his current level of health at around 70%, Shaw said he had lost considerable weight from his 6ft 10in (2.08m)-frame and was terrified the situation could rapidly get worse.
"My biggest concern is the infections. It's tough, especially with the diet here and just the living arrangements and the conditions. I try to do my best to get by, but it's not comfortable at all," he added. "I have stomach aches, nausea, throwing up, sharp stomach pains that I just have to deal with. There's not really much that I can do. The food here is not suitable for my stomach. So most days I try to fast or eat fruits. If I eat something, I'll just deal with the pain."
He is being supported in his fight for early release by criminal justice advocate Donte West, who spent three years in prison in Kansas before overturning a conviction for possession and conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Since his release in 2020, West has campaigned for those in jail for similar offences and flew to Indonesia to represent Shaw during his trial. West drew comparisons between Shaw and two other Americans who were jailed in Russia for possession of medicinal cannabis before being released under political pressure from the United States -- schoolteacher Marc Fogel and Olympic basketball gold medallist Brittney Griner. "I just hope he can receive the same grace," the Californian told Reuters via Zoom.
"And I think the difference between them and Jarred Shaw is the tremendous support that's been shown (to them) and the people that rally behind it. "It's hard sometimes for the public to understand unless they know somebody with Crohn's disease. But if we could spark the passion among the American people, it could be a situation where people rally behind Jarred Shaw and say this is a guy that's very sick."
(Reporting by Iain Axon, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
