Indonesia declines clemency for Filipina on death row

Celia Veloso, mother of Filipina drug convict and death row prisoner Mary Jane Veloso, breaks down in tears as she appeals to Indonesian President Joko Widodo for mercy to her daughter at Nusakambangan port in Cilacap before visiting Nusakambangan maximum security prison island yesterday.

Agencies/JakartaA Filipina who is among nine drug-trafficking convicts on death row in Indonesia will still face execution, the country’s attorney-general said yesterday after a last-ditch appeal by Philippines President Benigno Aquino for clemency. Earlier, a spokesman for Aquino said Indonesian President Joko Widodo is “sympathetic” about the plight of a Filipina facing death for drug trafficking and has promised to look into her case, after he made a personal appeal. While the comments seemed to indicate a faint prospect of reprieve for Mary Jane Veloso, the Indonesian leader is seen as extremely unlikely to change course on the executions which he has insisted for months are essential to halting a national drugs crisis. Veloso, a 30-year-old single mother of two boys, is due to face an Indonesian firing squad today. She is among eight foreigners facing execution in Indonesia, which has come under international pressure to spare them. Aquino made his appeal in person on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) being held this year in Malaysia, his spokesman Herminio Coloma said. “President Aquino talked with President Widodo earlier this morning and appealed for humanitarian consideration for Mary Jane Veloso, who was apparently duped into being an unwitting carrier of illegal drugs,” Coloma said in a text message. “(Aquino) said President Widodo was sympathetic and was consulting with the Indonesian Attorney General on the legal issues.” Asked if there was hope Veloso could be spared, Coloma said: “So long as there is life, there is hope.” Veloso was arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilograms of heroin sewn into the lining of her suitcase. She insists she went to Indonesia for a job as a maid and was duped by an international drug syndicate. The Philippines has sought to have a second judicial review of her case, citing evidence that she was a human trafficking victim, not a drug smuggler. But this weekend, Veloso’s lawyer said she had been informed that she would be put to death on April 28. Indonesia has some of the toughest anti-drugs laws in the world. In January, Jakarta executed six drug convicts, including five foreigners, sparking international outrage.

Rights activists picket  embassyPhilippine labour and women’s rights activists yesterday picketed the Indonesian embassy to appeal for Jakarta to spare a Filipino mother of two scheduled to be executed by firing squad for drug trafficking. The activists vowed to stay outside the embassy in Manila until Indonesian President Joko Widodo stops the execution of Mary Jane Veloso or a second appeal filed by her lawyers is granted.“There is still hope,” said Charles Jose, spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is overseeing the legal assistance being given to Veloso.“We have not given up hope on the second appeal.”