Mary Jane Veloso is breathing the air of freedom after receiving a\npardon from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.\u00a0The Philippines\nhas now declared its full support for Mary Jane, who previously held\ndeath row status in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
According to reports, Mary Jane spent nearly 1erb 15 years in an\nIndonesian prison as a death row inmate. She was sentenced to death in\n2010 after being arrested when a suitcase she was carrying was found to\ncontain 2.6 kilograms of heroin. Mary Jane had travelled to Indonesia to\nwork as a domestic helper, and her case became a subject of significant\ncontroversy.<\/p>\n
Efforts for clemency were previously undertaken, but the pardon\nrequest was rejected by Indonesia\u2019s 7th President, Joko Widodo, through\na Presidential Decree dated 30 December 2014. Other legal avenues, such\nas judicial reviews (PK), were also filed by her legal team. In their\npetition, they asserted that Mary Jane was merely a drug courier who was\nunaware of the contents of the suitcase. However, the first judicial\nreview was rejected in 2015, upholding her death sentence.<\/p>\n
A second judicial review was filed by her legal team at the Sleman\nDistrict Court on 27 April 2015. At that time, the execution was only\ndays away, scheduled for 29 April 2015. Mary Jane\u2019s second judicial\nreview was rejected by the Sleman District Court just one day after it\nwas submitted.<\/p>\n
A number of activists, including those from the Indonesian Migrant\nWorkers Network (JBMI) and representatives of Filipino migrant workers,\nheld protests in front of the State Palace in April 20lar 5. They urged\nthen-President Jokowi to halt the execution, as Mary Jane was considered\na victim of human trafficking.<\/p>\n
Mary Jane was included in the second wave of death row inmates\nscheduled for execution by the Attorney General\u2019s Office in April 2015,\na period of peak international pressure. The Philippine government\nofficially requested that Indonesia postpone the execution, as Mary Jane\nwas considered a vital witness in a human trafficking case in the\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
Mary Jane had been transferred from the Wirogunan Class IIA Prison in\nYogyakarta to Nusakambangan Prison on 24 April 2015 at 01:40 WIB in\npreparation for the execution. Narrowly escaping the sentence, her\nexecution was cancelled at the very last minute. She was not included in\nthe list of inmates brought to the execution site at Limus Buntu Field\naround midnight. Instead, she was removed from her cell and returned to\nWirogunan Prison.<\/p>\n
At the final moment, President Jokowi decided to postpone Mary Jane\u2019s\nexecution. This postponement was intended to allow her to provide\ntestimony in the legal proceedings against the human trafficking\nsyndicate suspected of recruiting and trapping her. This delay provided\na glimmer of hope for Mary Jane and her supporters.<\/p>\n
In December 2024, the administration of President Prabowo Subianto\nhanded Mary Jane over to the Philippine government through a \u2018practical\nagreement\u2019 for her repatriation, allowing her to serve the remainder of\nher sentence in a Philippine prison. Now, President Marcos Jr\u2019s pardon\nhas released Mary Jane from the remainder of her prison sentence\npreviously served in a Manila prison.<\/p>\n
This week, President Marcos Jr revealed that he had signed the\ndocument for full pardon or clemency for the now 40-year-old Mary Jane.\nAs reported by AFP, Mary Jane left her prison cell in Manila on Friday\n(25\/9) night local time. Her face appeared radiant when meeting the\nmedia, as she held the document signed by President Marcos Jr granting\nher \u2018absolute pardon\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018I want to express my gratitude to our beloved President, who has\nrestored my good name and allowed me to reunite with my family,\u2019 Mary\nJane said during a press conference following her release. She added\nthat she was looking forward to the moment she could reunite with her\ntwo sons. \u2018I could not be with them as they grew up, but I believe it is\nnot too late,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
Mary Jane\u2019s family welcomed President Marcos Jr\u2019s pardon with joy.\nHer mother, Celia Veloso, told AFP via telephone that Mary Jane\u2019s\nchildren \u2018are very happy\u2019.<\/p>\n
Indonesia respects the decision of pardon granted by the Philippine\nPresident regarding Mary Jane. This was stated by the Coordinating\nMinister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs,\nYusril Ihza Mahendra, in a written statement on Sunday (26\/9\/2026).<\/p>\n
\u2018The Indonesian government is aware of this, and it has been widely\nreported by the mass media. In accordance with the agreement with the\nPhilippine government, the responsibility for Mary Jane\u2019s rehabilitation\nhas been fully transferred to President Marcos. The Indonesian\ngovernment respects whatever decision is made by the Philippine\ngovernment,\u2019 said Yusrin.<\/p>\n
Yusril explained that this position is a consequence of the prisoner\ntransfer agreement between the two nations. The agreement is reciprocal;\nthus, if an Indonesian citizen inmate in the Philippines is transferred\nto Indonesia, the responsibility for their rehabilitation also transfers\nto the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
\u2018Because the agreement is reciprocal, if an Indonesian inmate in the\nPhilippines is ever returned to Indonesia, the responsibility for their\nrehabilitation is also transferred to the Indonesian government. Should\nthat Indonesian inmate be sentenced to life imprisonment, the President\nof Indonesia also has the right, for example, to grant clemency or\nrelease the inmate,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) stated it will\nprovide assistance to Mary Jane and her family in the process of\nreintegrating into society. Philippine DMW Minister Hans Leo Cacdac has\ninstructed his team to coordinate directly with Mary Jane\u2019s family in\nNueva Ecija following her release.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/following-mary-janes-release-in-the-philippines-1790520941", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }