The strong possibility of the release of Mary Jane Veloso from death row in Indonesia, after 14 long years of unjust imprisonment and a dramatic temporary reprieve from death by firing squad, is a continuing lesson in working for migrant justice, in continued and passionate migrant organizing and mobilizing to bring Mary Jane home, and simply put, in not giving up hope ever.
Last November 15, Migrante International, the biggest global organization of Filipinos overseas, issued this statement:
“According to an article published by Indonesian Media Organization Kompas, Mary Jane Veloso’s case was one of the matters discussed in a recent meeting held between PH Ambassador to Indonesia Gina Jamoralin and Coordinating Minister Yusril Mahendra of the Indonesian Ministry for Law, Human Rights and Immigration. During the said meeting, the possibility of transferring Mary Jane to serve her sentence in the Philippines was being considered as an option by the Indonesian Government.
We view this as a positive development and a welcome opportunity to address the situation of Mary Jane who has been in death row prison in Indonesia for the last 14 years. Nonetheless, we call on President Marcos Jr. to pursue efforts to grant Mary Jane clemency until the transfer of Mary Jane to the Philippines through three options: negotiation, bilateral agreement, and recent legal changes related to the death penalty in Indonesia. In the event that Mary Jane were to be transferred to the Philippines, President Marcos Jr. will now have the power to grant Mary Jane clemency based on her being a victim of human trafficking, on humanitarian grounds, and the absence of death penalty in the Philippines.
In the most recent hearing of Mary Jane’s case, the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court asked State Counsel Nancy Lozano to provide proof that it is coordinating with the Indonesian Government after its scheduled October bilateral talks did not push through. The State Counsel shared that because of a change in administration in Indonesia, they are awaiting the appointment of the new Minister for the Ministry of Law.
Marcos Jr. must therefore continue to exert all efforts to obtain Mary Jane’s deposition as soon as possible to establish legally through the PH regional trial court in Nueva Ecija that Mary Jane is a victim of human trafficking. Mary Jane and her family have been fighting to hold her traffickers accountable in court for the last nine years and they deserve full justice.
It is odd that during Wednesday’s Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), there was no mention of Mary Jane’s name during a discussion regarding OFWs in death row. Mary Jane’s case is the most high profile case facing OFWs in detention overseas to date, galvanizing support from all over the world to stop her scheduled execution in 2015. Her plight is emblematic of the exploitation and suffering of countless Filipino migrant workers, who everyday become victims of human trafficking as a result of the labor export program of the Marcos Jr. administration ….”
In early November, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) sent a 4-member delegation to visit Mary Jane in prison, with the help of the Philippine Ambassador Gina A. Jamoralin and the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (or the PGI).
They met and prayed with Mary Jane Veloso. The NCCP reiterated their hopes for her release and a “speedy trial of the case against her recruiters and for the government to intensify and exert all efforts to go after organized crime syndicates involved in human trafficking that prey on the vulnerable.”
We all hope that the talks and arrangements for Mary Jane will be more than a transfer from one prison in Indonesia to another prison in the Philippines.
President Marcos, Jr can give Mary Jane Veloso CLEMENCY. That should not be hard to do because, in truth, Marcos, Jr. is the President and he has the power to do so!
Let us help bring Mary Jane Veloso home – through masses and prayers, marches, letters and petitions, with united voices and actions.
Clemency for Mary Jane!
