After the brief conversation between President Benigno Aquino III and Indonesian President Joko Widodo regarding the clemency of 30-year old Mary Jane Veloso that was arrested in 2010 for attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia. Aquino appeals to Widodo for a humanitarian consideration whereas his argument is that Veloso is a victim of human trafficking and not a drug courier. This was the same argument in the second appeal given by Veloso’s lawyer in Indonesia stating that she was not aware at all that a suitcase she brought from Malaysia to Yogyakarta contained 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
But after the conversation with the two presidents, the Sleman District Court released an statement through spokesman Marliyus stating that the second appeal of Veloso was rejected. In the report of Rappler, Marliyus said that the request for another case review was not accepted by Sleman district court.
After the announcement of the Indonesian Court, Widodo appeared in an interview aired on state-owned television station TVRI late on Monday explaining his response to Aquino. In his statement, Widodo told media that instead of reporting who would be executed they should explain that 50 Indonesians die from illegal drugs everyday or 18, 000 a year. The statistics he uses to assert that Indonesia is in a drug emergency and there’s a necessity for the use of death penalty. And regarding the execution of Veloso and other 8 drug-trafficking convicts on death row, Widodo answered it “I won’t repeat this again, this is about the supremacy of law.”
Veloso along with other 8 convicts Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran (Australia); Raheem Agbaje Salami, Silvester Obiekwe Nwaolise, and Okwudili Oyatanze (Nigeria); Zainal Abidin (Indonesia); Rodrigo Gularte (Brazil); and Martin Anderson (Ghana) face execution on April 28, 5PM in Indonesia through firing squad (there are also reports indicating it would take place sometime after midnight on Wednesday.). The French national Serge Areski Atlaoui has been exemption on the said execution whereas as he is resubmitting his second case review to the State Administrative Court. In the report posted by The Jakarta Post that the delay on the Atlaoui’s execution is not because of pressure from the French President which according to rumors. This was clarified by Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Tony Tribagus Spontana.
Aside from the Philippines, Australia made an appeal for their nationals included in the death row using the argument that their trial had been tainted by corruption needed to be investigated. In the report of ABS-CBNNews.com Widodo brushed that off and stated that such concerns should have been conveyed a decade ago when the case when through the courts.
With the decision of the Indonesian court, Maritess Veloso Laurente doesn’t want to give-up on her sister but she confirmed that her sister is ready and already spoken with her to discuss the future of their two children.
As this article being written, activists and various sectors join the vigil for Mary Jane as they continue to beg the Indonesian government to spare her from execution. There’s also online petition to save Mary Jane on Change.org. Celebrities and influential personalities like People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao begs the Indonesian government to spare Mary Jane.
