Filipina spared: No executions in Indonesia until April 24

Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, is escorted by Indonesian police as she arrives at the court in Sleman in central Java island for a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. AFP

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Filipino woman on death row in Indonesia for drug offenses, got a few more weeks to live before the government schedules her execution.

Indonesia’s Attorney General HM Prasetyo assured on Tuesday no executions will be carried out by the government anytime soon because of the Asia-Africa Conference in Jakarta and Bandung, which will be held from April 18 to April 24.

Veloso, together with eight other foreigners, were found guilty of drug trafficking and would face the firing squad as required by the death penalty set by Indonesia.

Prasetyo said he did not want to generate any unease while high-profile delegations from various nations are visiting Indonesia. However, he insisted the postponement of the executions will not last beyond April 24, when the Asia-Africa Conference is over.

He said the delay was not a direct order from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as prosecutors had the authority to conduct executions. Prasetyo also denied the delay was caused by fears that some leaders would not attend.

“There is no fear involved in this decision, but you wouldn’t execute people during a high-profile government event with lots of visitors,” Prasetyo said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Prasetyo elaborated the Attorney General’s Office was still waiting on the legal processes of two death row inmates who were requesting reviews of their sentences. The inmates are Frenchmen Serge Areski Atlaoui and Nigerian Sylvester Obiekwe.

The legal processes of other inmates like Veloso, Ghanaian Martin Anderson, and Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran have concluded, with their appeals ultimately denied.

READ: Execution of Filipina, other convicts won’t be this week, says Indon exec

Another death row inmate, Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, was determined to be mentally sound despite solid claims that he had a mental illness. Attorneys received a second opinion on Gularte’s claim. TVJ
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