Jamaine Punzalan

Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (R) listens to court interpreter at a court in Sleman in central Java island during a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Suryo Wibowo, AFP/FIle 

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Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173216966086320150407-veloso-maryjane-AFP.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (R) listens to court interpreter at a court in Sleman in central Java island during a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. <em>Suryo Wibowo, AFP/FIle </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia on drug charges, said Thursday that she was &quot;elated&quot; to be returning home, after a deal brokered between the two nations.</p><p><br id="isPasted"/>Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms  of heroin and later sentenced to death by firing squad.</p><p><br/>The mother-of-two&#x27;s case sparked an uproar in the Philippines, with her family and supporters saying she was innocent and had been set up by an international drug syndicate.</p><p><br/>On Wednesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said she would be handed over to Manila following years of &quot;long and difficult&quot; negotiations.</p><p><br/>&quot;I am very elated to hear there is an opening chance for my hope to return home and be with my family,&quot; Veloso said in a written statement read by the prison warden Evi Loliancy on Thursday.</p><p><br/>&quot;I&#x27;m grateful and would like to thank everybody who keeps making efforts so I can return to my country,&quot; she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/21/clemency-for-veloso-marcos-says-everything-is-on-the-table-1217">Clemency for Veloso? Marcos says ‘everything is on the table’</a></div><p><br/>The 39-year-old said she would utilize skills she has learned in prison, including local cloth-dying techniques, to earn money for herself and her family.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/20/marcos-mary-jane-veloso-returning-to-ph-after-14-years-in-indonesian-jail-2052">Marcos: Mary Jane Veloso returning to PH after 14 years in Indonesian jail</a></div><p><br/>Veloso&#x27;s family maintained that she was duped into signing up for a non-existent job abroad as a domestic worker and was not aware the suitcase given to her by the recruiter contained hidden drugs.</p><p><br/>The Philippine government won a last-minute reprieve for Veloso in 2015 after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and put on trial for human trafficking in a case in which Veloso was named as a prosecution witness.</p><p><br/>Indonesia&#x27;s law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said President Prabowo Subianto had &quot;approved the transfer&quot;, which is expected to happen next month.</p><p><br/>Philippine leader Marcos on Wednesday posted a message thanking his Indonesian counterpart.</p><p><br/>He said Veloso&#x27;s &quot;story resonates with many: a mother trapped by the grip of poverty, who made one desperate choice that altered the course of her life&quot;.</p><div><br/></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABQnAp1JSF2cvsxC&amp;activation=adfill&amp;vip_mode=no"></script><div><br/><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia on drug charges, said Thursday that she was "elated" to be returning home, after a deal brokered between the two nations.</p>

Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia on drug charges, said Thursday that she was "elated" to be returning home, after a deal brokered between the two nations.

Saved from death row, Mary Jane Veloso 'elated'

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Saved from death row, Mary Jane Veloso 'elated'

Agence France-Presse

Published November 21, 2024 02:35 PM PHT

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Mary Jane Veloso

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