Veloso family, lawyer hope for Mary Jane’s clemency, coming home

Mary Jane Veloso. AFP FILE PHOTO

Family and representatives of Mary Jane Veloso, the convicted Filipino drug mule in Indonesia, hoped her newfound reprieve could be permanent and that the she can come home to the Philippines in time for the holidays.

READ: Mary Jane Veloso gets new ‘reprieve’ from execution

In a statement released on Friday, Atty. Edre Olalia, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers Philippines, welcomed the Indonesian court’s decision to postpone Veloso’s supposed execution as authorities in the country are focused on fixing their economy.

“We pray Mary Jane’s own temporary reprieve will be made permanent or that she be granted clemency and be brought home soon to the waiting arms of her little boys this coming holiday season,” Olalia said.

Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office told Jakarta Post that executions will be delayed due to the country’s weak economic state.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo said another round of executions, where Veloso was supposed to be included, could trigger an international wave of rap that could derail President Joko Widodo’s campaign on fixing Indonesia’s economy.

Olalia added the move could lead to the “permanent abolition” of death penalty as a punishment for crime because the said penalty could lead to the executions of innocent people who are wrongly convicted.

“We hope in time it leads to a permanent abolition as we have serious reservations about the death penalty’s real value in effectively deterring crime and it precludes rehabilitation and reformation while not giving weight to humanitarian consideration,” Olalia said. “Worse, it may victimize innocent individuals who are wrongly convicted for different reasons or factors and bring them irretrievably to the afterlife.” RAM

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