Filipina returns home from the death cell after 14 years

Filipina returns home from the death cell after 14 years

Jakarta, Indonesia - a Filipina that was in prison for almost 15 years and on the death list in Indonesia, came home on Wednesday morning thanks to long -standing requests from her home country. Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, who would almost have been executed by a shooting squad in 2015, was brought home after she received a search for mercy at the last minute, which now enables her to testify as an important witness and to expose the crime organization that she had unintentionally made her.

Welcome back to home

relative and a small group of supporters, including Velosos two sons, who were only 1 and 6 years old at the time of their arrest in 2010, they received tears and cheers at Manila Airport. A large banner with the inscription "Welcome home, Mary Jane" was held by relatives and supporters who held the flowers in their hands.

a historical step for relationships between the countries

Veloso was moved from a women's prison in Yogyakarta to the Indonesian capital Jakarta in the night of Monday after Monday and escorted to Manila for her flight on Tuesday evening. Their return was made possible by a "practical agreement" for the transfer of prisoners that the two countries signed on December 6th. This eliminates the possibility of execution because the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic country in Asia, have already abolished the death penalty.

emotional return and support of relatives

The bystanders called for joy, while Veloso was accompanied by a security team to a waiting van. Her parents wiped the tears while her mother Celia expressed her displeasure with the impossibility of being close to her daughter or hugging her. The officials announced that the relatives and lawyers can instead spend an hour with Veloso in the correctional facility for women in Metro Manila, where they were accommodated for security reasons.

hopes for mercy and gratitude

"We hope that President Mary Jane can grant grace," Veloso's mother told journalists. Her family asked for a grace regulation, but the Presidential Palace said that there had been no decision so far. A group of around 100 supporters chanted "grace for Mary Jane" and "Frei, Frei Mary Jane" when the van reached prison with Veloso.

A look at the time in prison

Veloso used to comment on journalists in front of the Pondok Bambu prison in Jakarta and reported that they were treated well by their fellow prisoners and the prison officers during their 14th anniversary. She collected many souvenirs, including a guitar, books, knitting and rosaries. "Thank you, Indonesia, I love Indonesia," said Veloso and shaped a heart with her fingers.

a sign of diplomacy

In a press conference at the airport, Veloso thanked President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government as well as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Philippines for their efforts to bring her home so that she can serve the rest of her punishment in her home country. She said, "I am grateful to God who heard my prayers." Veloso expressed the belief that God has a nice plan for their lives.

The importance of the agreement

The understate secretary for migration matters in the Philippines Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Jose de Vega, explained that their transfer evidence of successful diplomacy between the countries that protect the principles of the legislative presentation and respect for human rights. Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights Questions, said that the Philippines have the sovereignty of pardoning Veloso or granting what is respected.

a big thank you

The agreement stipulates that Veloso is excluded from entering Indonesian country for life. Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said in a statement on Wednesday: "Allow me to thank the government of Indonesia for its sincere and determined action that made Mary Jane Veloso possible to come home before Christmas." Manalo described this as a significant success for bilateral relationships between the Philippines and Indonesia, as an expression of trust and friendship between the two nations. Marcos told journalists on Tuesday: "We are already celebrating."

preparations for returning home

The judicial authorities announced that Veloso will go through quarantine in the women's facility in Manila for five days, where their family can spend on Christmas Eve. Veloso, which will be 40 years old next month, was arrested at an airport in Yogyakarta in 2010 when the officers discovered about 2.6 kilograms of heroin in their luggage. The judgment and the death penalty for the single mother of two sons caused outrage in the Philippines.

a shocking drug case

She had traveled to Indonesia, where the recruitment Maria Kristina Sergio allegedly assured her that she would receive a job as a household assistant. Sergio is also said to have made the suitcase available in which the drugs were found. In 2015, Veloso was moved to a prison island where it was to be executed together with eight other drug convicts, despite the appeal of her home countries Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana and Nigeria. Indonesia carried out the execution of the others, but Veloso was spared the execution two days earlier due to the arrest of Sergio.

a serious problem: drug trafficking in Indonesia

The United Nations Office for Drug and Crime Change has found that Indonesia is an important center for drug trafficking, although it has some of the strictest drug regulations in the world, partly because international drug cartels target the young population. According to data from the Ministry for Immigration and Corrections, around 530 people in Indonesia are on the list of death, mostly because of drug offenses, including 96 foreigners. The last executions in Indonesia, in which a citizen and three foreigners were executed, took place in July 2016.

Five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trade returned on Sunday under a deal between governments to Australia.