In 2009, Mary Jane Veloso was arrested by Indonesian authorities after she was caught at Yogyakarta airport with 2.6 kg of heroin sewn into the lining of her suitcase.
According to Mary Jane, she was unaware of the heroin and that it was sewn into the luggage by an acquaintance who had promised her a job in Indonesia as a domestic helper.
Five years later, Mary Jane is one of eight foreigners set to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia at midnight (Jakarta time) on April 29, 2015.
According to reports, an appeal for the Indonesian courts to reconsider the conviction is being prepared and a petition, which will be filed on April 27, hopes to convince authorities that Mary Jane was a victim of human trafficking and that she is not a drug smuggler.
UPDATE AS OF APRIL 29, 2AM: One hour after Mary Jane’s scheduled execution in Jakarta, news agencies are reporting that her execution has been delayed due to a last-minute plea from President Aquino. According to Indonesia’s Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo in a report by Rappler, “There was someone who surrendered today. She claimed she was the one who recruited Mary Jane.”
The “someone” Prosetyo was referring to was Maria Kristina Sergio, Mary Jane’s recruiter who surrendered to authorities in Nueva Ecija just 13 hours before Mary Jane’s scheduled execution. Maria Kristina allegedly duped Mary Jane into carrying the suitcase that secretly carried heroin.
The footage below is a plea from Mary Jane’s children to the son of the Indonesian President, Kaesang Widodo, to sway his father to not push through with the execution:
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