Grant Mary Jane Veloso clemency, lawyers’ group asks Marcos

FILE PHOTO: Mary Jane Veloso. – An international group of lawyers calls on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to release Mary Jane Veloso from prison and grant her clemency. Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — An international group of lawyers called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to release Mary Jane Veloso from prison and grant her clemency.

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) commended Veloso’s transfer Veloso from Indonesia to the Philippines, describing the drug convict’s case as an example of migrant workers’ vulnerabilities, particularly poor women.

However, they believed that Veloso must be given clemency as she already “suffered long enough.”

“The IADL believes that Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of trafficking, has suffered long enough and the grant of clemency is primarily a presidential prerogative which may be given purely on a humanitarian basis, without the need of a lengthy administrative and legal review by experts. Justice delayed is justice denied,” the group said in a statement Tuesday.

READ: DOJ: Board of pardons to study Veloso clemency

“We implore the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to free Mary Jane Veloso, by way of absolute pardon on compassionate grounds, in this, the Season of Peace,” it added.

IADL compared Veloso’s case to other foreign prisoners transferred from Indonesia, specifically, the five Australians who were part of the Bali 9 death row convicts. According to the IADL, the Australian government released the five Australians from jail upon transfer from Indonesia.

“We join the global call of migrants’ rights advocates, human rights defenders, and grassroots organizations demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Mary Jane Veloso,” it said.

The group also pointed out that Veloso’s repatriation sets a precedent for the Philippine government to address the cases of 59 other Filipinos on death row worldwide. It called on the host governments holding the Filipino prisoners to follow the Indonesian example and facilitate the repatriation of the Filipinos on death row to the Philippines.

READ: Timeline: The case of Mary Jane Veloso

Veloso was arrested in 2010 at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.

She was later meter a death sentence, but her execution was stopped in 2015 after Philippine officials asked then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo to allow her to testify against members of a human and drug-smuggling syndicate in the Philippines.

After spending nearly 15 years in a Jakarta jail and more than a decade of diplomatic efforts, Veloso was finally returned to Manila last December 18.

From the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Veloso was sent straight to the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City to continue serving her sentence — without death penalty, which is prohibited under Philippine laws.

Marcos had been asked if he will grant clemency to Veloso, and the president replied that legal experts still need to assess her case to determine if such is “appropriate” for the ex-overseas Filipino worker.