Filipina woman Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking and nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, has finally returned home after almost 15 years in Indonesian prison.
Veloso, a single mother of two sons, was arrested in 2010 at an airport in Yogyakarta and later convicted and sentenced to death. However, she won a last-minute reprieve that led to her testimony exposing how she was duped into being an unwitting accomplice and drug courier by a criminal syndicate.
After spending 14 years in prison, Veloso was transferred from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta to Manila, where she will serve the rest of her sentence. Her transfer was made possible by a “practical arrangement” signed between the two countries on December 6.
Relatives and supporters welcomed Veloso with cheers and tears at Manila’s airport, including her two sons who were just one and six years old when she was arrested. The Philippine government has long abolished the death penalty, but Veloso’s transfer removes the possibility of execution.
As part of her agreement, Veloso is banned from entering Indonesian territory for life. Her family will spend Christmas Eve with her at a penal facility in Manila, where she will undergo five days of quarantine.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/18/asia/philippines-mary-jane-veloso-returned-intl-hnk/index.html