Indonesia, Philippines agree to repatriate Filipina on death row
The Peninsula
Jakarta: A Filipina on death row in Indonesia could be home before Christmas after Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement to repatriate her, officials...
Jakarta: A Filipina on death row in Indonesia could be home before Christmas after Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement to repatriate her, officials said Friday.
Mother of two Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin.
Her supporters claim she was duped by an international drug syndicate, and in 2015, she narrowly escaped execution after her suspected recruiter her was arrested.
"We agree to return the person concerned to the Philippines," Indonesia's senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters after signing a "practical arrangement" for Veloso's repatriation in Jakarta.
"Mary Jane Veloso becomes the responsibility of the Philippines," he said, adding that he had heard that the death penalty would be changed into life imprisonment.