Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino woman who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking, is set to be repatriated to the Philippines nearly a decade after her initial execution was halted by a last-minute pardon. The Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Veloso is coming home, marking the end of a long and difficult journey for her and her supporters.
In the dark of the early morning of 29 April 2015, two members of Australia’s so-called Bali Nine were each tied to a stake in a floodlit field on the Indonesia n prison island of Nusakambangan.
Instead, the AFP alerted Indonesian authorities, despite knowing it could expose the Australians to the death penalty. Yusril reiterated Jakarta’s preference for the Bali Nine to continue serving their jail sentences after returning home, but conceded that clemency would be a matter for Australia. Ministerial commentary in Australia – conscious of the agreement’s fragility – has been deliberately indefinite, focused on “the proposal” and “delicate” negotiations, rather than returns. Sources say the bureaucratic machinations of exactly how prisoners are to be exchanged – in both directions – might also take longer than the end-of-year forecast.
Much of the work will happen away from the glare of media scrutiny. Behind the scenes, Australia’s ambassador, Penny Williams, met Indonesia’s law minister in Jakarta to discuss the proposal that Albanese and Prabowo later agreed to on the sidelines of the Apec meeting in Peru. The heavy lifting will be done by officials, but they need the political imprimatur to seal the deal.
Soik, according to Indonesia, had been trafficked and was routinely tortured by her employer, whom she stabbed to death. Indonesia ran a concerted campaign over five years to have her repatriated. “This is happening because President Prabowo personally has an interest in saving Indonesians overseas from death sentences.
The ex-son-in-law of military dictator Suharto, Prabowo was a commandant general of the notorious Kopassus special forces branch. He was dismissed from the military in 1998 amid allegations of human rights abuses, including the disappearance of 13 pro-democracy activists during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. He has always denied wrongdoing.
Mary Jane Veloso Repatriation Philippines Indonesia Amnesty Drug Trafficking Execution
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