Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia for heroin trafficking, has finally been released and is returning to the Philippines. Veloso was sentenced to death in 2010 after being found with 2.6kg of heroin at an airport, but she claims she was tricked into carrying the drugs.
Veloso’s release comes after a deal between the Philippine and Indonesian governments, which allowed her to return home as a prisoner. She will be detained in the Philippines’ main women’s prison in Metro Manila. However, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos may grant her a reprieve, which would change her status.
The 39-year-old mother of two was arrested at Yogyakarta airport in 2010 and claimed she was deceived by someone who told her to travel to Indonesia for a job as a maid. She said she was given new clothes and a bag with heroin sewn into it without her knowledge. Veloso’s case drew widespread public sympathy in the Philippines, where many women rely on foreign work to escape poverty.
Veloso’s transfer comes just days after five members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring returned home after serving nearly 20 years in Indonesian prisons. The Filipino woman will now get to spend Christmas with her family and start a new life in the Philippines.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xj510081go