Asia - Pacific

Philippine woman on death row in Indonesia returns home after nearly 15 years

Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kilograms of heroin, sentenced to death shortly afterward

Yasin Gungor  | 18.12.2024 - Update : 19.12.2024
Philippine woman on death row in Indonesia returns home after nearly 15 years

ISTANBUL 

A Filipina who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking returned to the Philippines on Wednesday.

Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kilograms of heroin and was sentenced to death shortly afterward.

She has consistently maintained her innocence, claiming she was tricked by recruiters into becoming a drug mule, according to Philippine media outlet Rappler.

Her return follows an agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines signed earlier this month facilitating her transfer.

On Monday, she was moved to a women’s correctional facility in the capital Jakarta before being flown to Manila.

She will undergo a five-day quarantine as part of standard procedures for newly transferred prisoners before being transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City to serve her remaining sentence.

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