Mary Jane Veloso reunites with her family after arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024. 
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Mary Jane Veloso -CIW

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — A lawyer for Filipina drug trafficking convict Mary Jane Veloso on Thursday argued that his client should also be freed by the Philippine government, citing the release of the remaining five members of the Australian &quot;Bali Nine&quot; drug ring who were jailed for 19 years in Indonesia.</p><p>The men — the last behind bars among nine Australian smugglers who were imprisoned in Indonesia since 2005 — flew into Darwin this month under a secretive deal between Australia and Indonesia.</p><p>Australian public broadcaster ABC said the men did not have to serve further prison time but had agreed voluntarily to continue their rehabilitation.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t see any legal, political, or moral impediment why the president can hold back,&quot; Edre Olalia, chair of the National Union of Peoples&#x27; Lawyers and a lwyer for Veloso, said on ANC.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/22/wrap-why-a-migrant-workers-group-considers-mary-jane-veloso-a-hero-2018">Why a migrant workers&#x27; group considers Mary Jane Veloso a hero<br/></a></div><p>Veloso&#x27;s camp as well as human rights groups are calling for the Marcos administration to grant the Filipina absolute pardon, saying she was a victim of human trafficking and that she deserves to be granted clemency due to humanitarian grounds.</p><p>&quot;The grant of clemency is not based on legal grounds. The grant of clemency, particularly absolute pardon, is based on humanitarian grounds, which is beyond the legal considerations. The humanitarian consideration is overwhelming and will override any legal question,&quot; he said.</p><p>Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after 2.6 kilograms of heroin was found in her luggage, but the Filipina asserted that the bag was only handed to her by her recruiters.</p><p>She narrowly escaped death in 2015 after her recruiters were arrested shortly before her scheduled execution.</p><div><strong>&#x27;HUMANITARIAN BASIS FOR FREEDOM&#x27;</strong></div><p>Olalia said rather than debate on whether or not Veloso knew that prohibited drugs were stashed in her luggage, &quot;we should direct the attention to whether or not there is enough humanitarian basis to grant her clemency.&quot;</p><p>He cited Veloso as a single mother who was nearly executed by a firing squad, comes from a poor family, and is allegedly a victim of attempted rape.</p><p>He said he was &quot;quite confident that sooner than later&quot; President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would grant executive clemency to Veloso.</p><p>&quot;We are not asking that everybody should be granted absolute pardon, not at all. We&#x27;re asking that given the fact that what Mary Jane went through and the circumstances that she had to undergo, she certainly deserves the absolute pardon that only the president can exercise,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Even if I do respect the fact that he might be waiting for the right time but I don&#x27;t know when the right time is. The right time is no second longer for her to be behind bars.&quot;</p><p>The Marcos administration secured a prison transfer deal with Indonesia to bring home Veloso <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/25/mary-jane-veloso-nakapiling-ng-kanyang-pamilya-ngayong-araw-ng-pasko-2133">in time for Christmas</a>. </p><p>Hopes are high that she will be granted freedom by the government through executive clemency or other forms of sentence reduction.</p><p>The Board of Pardons and Parole has already been tasked with evaluating Veloso&#x27;s case and while Marcos has not ruled out granting clemency, he has also said &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/19/-malayo-pa-tayo-roon-marcos-leaves-mary-jane-veloso-clemency-up-to-legal-experts-1059">we&#x27;re still at the very preliminary stage</a>&quot; and no decision is expected any time soon.</p><div><strong>—Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News, with a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_sKi66COxYo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>A lawyer for Mary Jane Veloso argued that his client should also be freed by the Philippines citing Australia's release of the remaining 5 members of "Bali Nine" drug ring who were jailed for 19 years in Indonesia.</p>

A lawyer for Mary Jane Veloso argued that his client should also be freed by the Philippines citing Australia's release of the remaining 5 members of "Bali Nine" drug ring who were jailed for 19 years in Indonesia.

Veloso lawyer: PH can take cue from Australia’s release of ‘Bali Nine’ convicts | ABS-CBN

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Veloso lawyer: PH can take cue from Australia’s release of ‘Bali Nine’ convicts

Veloso lawyer: PH can take cue from Australia’s release of ‘Bali Nine’ convicts

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Published Dec 26, 2024 12:26 PM PHT

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Updated Dec 26, 2024 05:30 PM PHT

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