Human rights alliance KARAPATAN joined migrants rights advocates and other human rights defenders in welcoming Mary Jane Veloso, with news of her imminent transfer from Indonesia to the Philippines, and renewed its call to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to immediately grant her executive clemency upon her return.
“It would be the height of insensitivity to whisk her off to a Philippine prison as soon as she returns, despite everything she has gone through,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay.
Veloso, a human trafficking victim, was deceived into serving as a drug mule in April 2010 by a woman who recruited her for a domestic helper job in Malaysia. Upon her arrival in Malaysia, Veloso was told that the job was no longer available but there was another one she could take in Indonesia. In Indonesia, however, a suitcase provided to Veloso by her recruiter turned out to be carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in its inner lining.
Veloso was sentenced to death in November 2010 but granted an eleventh hour reprieve in 2015 to enable her to testify against her traffickers who were in custody in the Philippines. In November 2024, Indonesian authorities allowed her to serve the rest of her sentence in the Philippines or receive a pardon, as part of a diplomatic deal with the Philippines.
“The ball is in Marcos Jr.’s court. He can either end Mary Jane’s suffering or prolong her misery. We urge him to grant Mary Jane executive clemency so she can start her life anew with her family.”
Migrants rights activists have been conducting a series of actions to welcome Mary Jane back in view of her anticipated arrival this week.