Following Mary Jane's Release in the Philippines
Mary Jane Veloso is breathing the air of freedom after receiving a pardon from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Philippines has now declared its full support for Mary Jane, who previously held death row status in Indonesia.
According to reports, Mary Jane spent nearly 1erb 15 years in an Indonesian prison as a death row inmate. She was sentenced to death in 2010 after being arrested when a suitcase she was carrying was found to contain 2.6 kilograms of heroin. Mary Jane had travelled to Indonesia to work as a domestic helper, and her case became a subject of significant controversy.
Efforts for clemency were previously undertaken, but the pardon request was rejected by Indonesia’s 7th President, Joko Widodo, through a Presidential Decree dated 30 December 2014. Other legal avenues, such as judicial reviews (PK), were also filed by her legal team. In their petition, they asserted that Mary Jane was merely a drug courier who was unaware of the contents of the suitcase. However, the first judicial review was rejected in 2015, upholding her death sentence.
A second judicial review was filed by her legal team at the Sleman District Court on 27 April 2015. At that time, the execution was only days away, scheduled for 29 April 2015. Mary Jane’s second judicial review was rejected by the Sleman District Court just one day after it was submitted.
A number of activists, including those from the Indonesian Migrant Workers Network (JBMI) and representatives of Filipino migrant workers, held protests in front of the State Palace in April 20lar 5. They urged then-President Jokowi to halt the execution, as Mary Jane was considered a victim of human trafficking.
Mary Jane was included in the second wave of death row inmates scheduled for execution by the Attorney General’s Office in April 2015, a period of peak international pressure. The Philippine government officially requested that Indonesia postpone the execution, as Mary Jane was considered a vital witness in a human trafficking case in the Philippines.
Mary Jane had been transferred from the Wirogunan Class IIA Prison in Yogyakarta to Nusakambangan Prison on 24 April 2015 at 01:40 WIB in preparation for the execution. Narrowly escaping the sentence, her execution was cancelled at the very last minute. She was not included in the list of inmates brought to the execution site at Limus Buntu Field around midnight. Instead, she was removed from her cell and returned to Wirogunan Prison.
At the final moment, President Jokowi decided to postpone Mary Jane’s execution. This postponement was intended to allow her to provide testimony in the legal proceedings against the human trafficking syndicate suspected of recruiting and trapping her. This delay provided a glimmer of hope for Mary Jane and her supporters.
In December 2024, the administration of President Prabowo Subianto handed Mary Jane over to the Philippine government through a ‘practical agreement’ for her repatriation, allowing her to serve the remainder of her sentence in a Philippine prison. Now, President Marcos Jr’s pardon has released Mary Jane from the remainder of her prison sentence previously served in a Manila prison.
This week, President Marcos Jr revealed that he had signed the document for full pardon or clemency for the now 40-year-old Mary Jane. As reported by AFP, Mary Jane left her prison cell in Manila on Friday (25/9) night local time. Her face appeared radiant when meeting the media, as she held the document signed by President Marcos Jr granting her ‘absolute pardon’.
‘I want to express my gratitude to our beloved President, who has restored my good name and allowed me to reunite with my family,’ Mary Jane said during a press conference following her release. She added that she was looking forward to the moment she could reunite with her two sons. ‘I could not be with them as they grew up, but I believe it is not too late,’ she said.
Mary Jane’s family welcomed President Marcos Jr’s pardon with joy. Her mother, Celia Veloso, told AFP via telephone that Mary Jane’s children ‘are very happy’.
Indonesia respects the decision of pardon granted by the Philippine President regarding Mary Jane. This was stated by the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, in a written statement on Sunday (26/9/2026).
‘The Indonesian government is aware of this, and it has been widely reported by the mass media. In accordance with the agreement with the Philippine government, the responsibility for Mary Jane’s rehabilitation has been fully transferred to President Marcos. The Indonesian government respects whatever decision is made by the Philippine government,’ said Yusrin.
Yusril explained that this position is a consequence of the prisoner transfer agreement between the two nations. The agreement is reciprocal; thus, if an Indonesian citizen inmate in the Philippines is transferred to Indonesia, the responsibility for their rehabilitation also transfers to the Indonesian government.
‘Because the agreement is reciprocal, if an Indonesian inmate in the Philippines is ever returned to Indonesia, the responsibility for their rehabilitation is also transferred to the Indonesian government. Should that Indonesian inmate be sentenced to life imprisonment, the President of Indonesia also has the right, for example, to grant clemency or release the inmate,’ he added.
The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) stated it will provide assistance to Mary Jane and her family in the process of reintegrating into society. Philippine DMW Minister Hans Leo Cacdac has instructed his team to coordinate directly with Mary Jane’s family in Nueva Ecija following her release.