Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Wednesday that Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking, will be returned to the Philippines, Al Jazeera reports.
The announcement follows years of diplomatic efforts by the Manila government.
Veloso, a 39-year-old mother of two and former domestic helper, was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 for attempting to smuggle 2.6kg of heroin. She consistently maintained her innocence, claiming she was tricked into carrying the drugs by a recruiter. This claim was central to the years-long campaign for her release.
In 2015, Veloso received a last-minute reprieve from execution when her recruiter surrendered to authorities. Then-President Benigno Aquino III proposed that Veloso become a witness in a case against a drug trafficking syndicate, a proposition that temporarily halted her execution.
President Marcos described Veloso’s return as the culmination of a “long and difficult journey,” expressing his anticipation for her homecoming. While a specific date for her repatriation has not been released, the news has been met with relief in the Philippines where Veloso’s case sparked widespread outrage and sympathy. Many Filipinos believed she was a victim of human trafficking and exploitation.
Indonesia has a notoriously strict stance on drug offenses, having executed foreign nationals in the past, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015.
