Indonesia is practicing one of the toughest laws in the world due to its capital punishment application for heavy smugglers of illegal substances. This include illegally traded narcotics that are causing substance abuse issues for the users who also become pushers of the trade. In this position, criminal activities shoot up as there are more offenders who are caught up that are responsible for the growing incidents of illegal substance trade all over Indonesia. There were several foreigners who were executed by the Indonesian authorities, sparking worldwide condemnation.
Mary Jane Veloso is just one of the foreigners who were arraigned by the Indonesian authorities because her luggage was discovered carrying illegal narcotics. As a punishment, Mary Jane's life is now in a complete disaster as she was arraigned and indicted for narcotics trafficking. As a consequence, Indonesian authorities decided to impose capital punishment as a verdict to her violation to Indonesian laws. Mary Jane is currently under the custody of Indonesian authorities while waiting for her execution.
Mary Jane Veloso that will be visited by President Rodrigo Duterte in Indonesia |
On her defense, Mary jane Veloso claims that she was only duped by her godsister. Mary Jane denies accusations that she is a trafficker because her godsister suddenly requested her to bring a luggage before proceeding to Indonesia. Out of her knowledge, the baggage contains prohibited items that have lead to her arrest and conviction of capital punishment. May Jane's life is now confronted with numerous misfortunes, now that she is now waiting for her execution by the Indonesian authorities.
Mary Jane was convicted in October 2010. However, Former Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono enacted a new provision on capital punishment. Mary Jane Veloso was then spared from the execution along with other convicted felons for trafficking narcotics and other illegal substances in Indonesia. Mary Jane was supposed to be executed in January 2015 but was moved by President Widodo. On April 29, 2015, Mary Jane was expecting that her life will already end. However, she was again spared, which was the only foreigner who was not executed.
5 Facts about Mary Jane Veloso
1. She is a Filipino: Mary Jane Veloso is a Filipina Overseas worker. She only wants to make a decent living in order to provide basic needs to her family. She is from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, which is a province in Central Luzon. Mary Jane was born on January 10, 1985. She is now 31 years old. She was married at the age of 17 and had two children aged 6 and 12 respectively.
2. Mary Jane is a victim of human trafficking: With the rise of tough anti-narcotics law, Mary Jane is one of the victims of this scenario. She has just been used as a mule to transport illegal substances that are prohibited in Indonesia when her god sister requested her to carry a baggage against her will before flying to Jakarta. Even without her knowledge, the law is always indicating every citizen that ignorance excuses no one. If you are innocent, you just have to prove it with legal documents before pleading your freedom against the accusations.
3.She was sparred three times from execution: Mary Jane Veloso seems to have a guardian angel at her side because she is one of the lucky foreigners in Indonesia spared from execution. The first one was in January 2010, then, in January 2015, and finally in April 2015. Is this a pure coincidence? or just a pure luck for Mary Jane, which is rare for a convicted person to get away from the persecution of justice in Indonesia.
4. Mary Jane Veloso will be visited by President Rodrigo Duterte: Lucky for her, Mary Jane Veloso is now going to have a face-to-face contact with the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. It is believed that the Philippine president will do the same for Mary Jane Veloso, seeking either a delay or a total acquittal of her case in Indonesia. However, President Duterte still respects Indonesian laws and will accept whatever fate that Mary Jane will soon have.
5. Prayers for Mary Jane: A prayer is a factual issue that the Filipino must have to consider. Divine intervention is always powerful when you use it in the right way. Praying for Mary Jane's fate can bring any miracle to her life because divine intervention can spare her from being executed in Indonesia. Life will be unfair for her and her family because she is a victim of human trafficking due to the greed and corruptive minds of those who used her to transport illegal substances in Indonesia.