It was just about a year ago today that the Indonesian government executed eight people by firing squad for drug-related crimes. It was supposed to be nine, but one of the condemned prisoners, Filipino citizen Mary Jane Veloso, was given a last minute stay of execution.
Veloso was spared because the Philippines Government asked that she be allowed to testify in a Filipino court against Maria Kristina Sergio, the women who allegedly tricked her into smuggling 2.6 kg of heroin into Indonesia. However, Sergio’s defense team has managed to keep the case from moving forward by filing numerous motions, causing fears that the Indonesian Government might decide to execute Veloso before she could have her innocence proven in court.
Those fears were brought up again recently when the Indonesian Government indicated that it would resume executing criminals at some point in the near future.
However, according to Indonesia’s attorney general, Veloso will not have to face the firing squad, at least during the next round of executions.
“We respect the legal process taking place in the Philippines. All this time some people have been asking why the Attorney General has not executed (Veloso), I tell them we have a procedure,” Prasetyo said at the Attorney General’s Office today as quoted by Kompas.
Prasetyo said Veloso’s execution would be discussed after the judicial process had been completed and all of her legal rights had been considered.
The attorney general previously told Rappler that there was a chance that new evidence could allow Mary Jane to appeal for clemency from President Joko Widodo.
However he added “…surely Mary Jane will not be free from punishment. The fact is that she smuggled drugs to Indonesia.”
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