Die Überstellung einer zum Tode verurteilten Frau auf die Philippinen müsse zu einem entscheidenden Schritt zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe werden, forderte der Direktor von Amnesty Indonesien, Usman Hamid ”
„Diese positive Nachricht muss ein Sprungbrett für weitere Maßnahmen sein, um die Achtung der Menschenrechte für alle zu gewährleisten. Die Überstellung von Mary Jane Veloso auf die Philippinen, ein Land, das die Todesstrafe seit langem abgeschafft hat, stellt sicher, dass sie nicht hingerichtet wird – ein Ergebnis, für das wir uns eingesetzt haben und das für alle Menschen im Todestrakt Indonesiens Realität werden muss.”, erklärte er.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL INDONESIA
QUOTE
18 DECEMBER 2024
Indonesia: Transfer of woman on death row to the Philippines must be a pivotal moment towards abolishing death penalty
Responding to Indonesian government’s decision to transfer Mary Jane Veloso, a woman under sentence of death in Indonesia convicted of a drug-related offence, to the Philippines, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, said:
“This positive announcement must be a stepping stone for more actions to ensure the respect of human rights for all. Mary Jane Veloso’s transfer to the Philippines, a country that has long abolished the death penalty, ensures that she will not face execution—an outcome that we have campaigned for and which must become a reality for all those on death row in Indonesia.
“This decision should serve as a turning point, not only for Veloso but also for Indonesia’s broader stance on the death penalty. We believe that the death penalty, in all circumstances, is a violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Its use for drug related offences is also unlawful under international law and standards.
“As Indonesia moved to transfer Veloso, we urge the government to follow the global trend by establishing an official moratorium on all executions, commuting the sentences of all death those on death row as first critical steps towards full abolition of this cruel punishment.”
Background
According to media reports, President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on 20 November 2024 that an agreement had been reached with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to transfer Mary Jane Veloso, a woman from the Philippines on death row convicted of a drug-related charge.
Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, confirmed the statement, stating that the Indonesian government had agreed to the Philippines’ President request for Veloso’s transfer.
While the details of the agreement were not immediately disclosed, the transfer would effectively eliminate the possibility of her execution, as the Philippines has abolished the death penalty.
Veloso was sentenced to death on 11 October 2010 by the Sleman District Court for attempting to bring 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia from Malaysia at Yogyakarta airport on 25 April 2010. The Supreme Court rejected her appeal for a review of her case in March 2015.
Veloso was scheduled for execution on 29 April 2015 but was granted a last-minute stay, following a request by the Philippines president to enable her to testify at the trial of a woman accused of deceiving her into transporting the drugs. . According to her then lawyer, she was not provided with a lawyer or translator during her police interrogation, which was conducted in Bahasa Indonesia, a language she did not understand at the time. During her trial, an unlicensed court-provided interpreter translated the proceedings from Bahasa Indonesia into English, another language in which she was not fluent.
President Joko Widodo at that time said the execution was postponed because of a human trafficking case involving Veloso.
As of today, 113 countries abolished death penalty and 56 countries still retains death penalty, including Indonesia.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception and supports calls, included in ten resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly since 2007, for the establishment of a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.