Filipino woman who was on death row in Indonesia will return home after almost 15 years in prison

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Filipino woman who was on death row in Indonesia — and was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015 — was moved late Sunday to a female prison in Indonesia’s capital, from where she will be flown back to her home country.

Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years in an Indonesian prison for drug trafficking, was allowed to return home after Indonesia and the Philippines signed a “practical arrangement” deal on Dec. 6, after a decade of pleading from Manila.

In a tearful interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Veloso described the decision as being "like a miracle when I have lost all hope."

“For almost 15 years I was separated from my children and parents, and I could not see my children grow up,” she said. “I wish to be given an opportunity to take care of my children and to be close to my parents."

Veloso, who will turn 40 next month, was arrested in 2010 at an airport in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, where officials discovered about 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin hidden in her luggage. The single mother of two sons was convicted and sentenced to death.

Veloso has maintained her innocence throughout her 14 years of incarceration. She has spent her time in prison designing Indonesian batik clothing, painting, tailoring and learning other skills.

Just before midnight on Sunday, she was escorted through a crush of reporters outside a female prison in Yogyakarta into a waiting van that took her to Jakarta, about 460 kilometers (285 miles) away.

Wearing a black T-shirt and dark pants, she made only a brief comment to reporters, saying, “I’m so happy... Thank you so much and Merry Christmas!” from behind the vehicle's window.

Veloso’s case caused a public outcry in the Philippines. She traveled to Indonesia in 2010 where her recruiter, Maria Kristina Sergio, reportedly told her a job as a domestic worker awaited her. Sergio also allegedly provided the suitcase where the drugs were found.

In 2015, Indonesia moved Veloso to an island prison where she and eight other drug convicts were scheduled to be executed by firing squad despite objections from Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana and Nigeria.

Indonesia executed the eight other convicts, and Veloso was granted a stay of execution because Sergio was arrested in the Philippines just two days ahead of her scheduled execution.

The reprieve provided an opportunity for Veloso’s testimony to expose how a criminal syndicate duped her into being an unwitting accomplice and courier in drug trafficking.

Yogyakarta female prison’s chief warden, Evi Loliancy, said Veloso was involved in various prison activities arranged by correctional officers, including organizing fashion shows featuring designs by inmates and learning how to dance.

“Mary Jane loves helping her fellow inmates, and she is able to motivate them to be creative,” Loliancy said. “She will miss us so much and so do we here.”

She said Veloso was very happy when she learned that she would be reunited with her family, but also a bit nervous and sad when she was about to leave. “But we all cheered her on and wish all the best for her," Loliancy said.

Veloso will need to stay for a few days at the Pondok Bambu female prison in Jakarta while waiting for her flight tickets and travel documents, said Sohibur Rachman, an official at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.

Rachman said his ministry was coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta on repatriating Veloso. He has not said when her return will take place but unconfirmed reports said her flight to Manila is scheduled for early Wednesday.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.

Indonesia's last executions were carried out in July 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by firing squad.

About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections’ data showed as of last month.

Five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia on Sunday under a deal struck between the Indonesian and Australian governments.

Indonesia recently agreed in principle to return a French national to his home country.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press journalist Dita Alangkara contributed to this report.