YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – A Filipina woman who was on death row in Indonesia – and was nearly killed by a gunman in 2015 – was transferred Sunday to a women’s prison in the Indonesian capital, where she will be sent home. the world.
Mary Jane Veloso, who spent nearly 15 years in an Indonesian prison for drug trafficking, was allowed to return home after Indonesia and the Philippines signed an “effective” agreement on December 6, after 10 years of pleading from Manila.
In a tearful interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Veloso described the move as “like a miracle when I lost hope.”
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“For almost 15 years I was separated from my children and parents, and I could not see my children growing up,” he said. “I wish to be given the opportunity to take care of my children and be close to my parents.”
Veloso, who turns 40 next month, was arrested in 2010 at an airport in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, where officials found 2.6 kilograms of heroin hidden in his luggage. A single mother of two sons was convicted and sentenced to death.
Veloso remained innocent during his 14 years in prison. She spent her time in prison making Indonesian Batik clothes, painting, sewing and learning other skills.
Just before midnight on Sunday, she was escorted by a throng of reporters out of a women’s prison in Yogyakarta into a waiting bus that took her to Jakarta, some 460 kilometers (285 miles) away.
Dressed in a black t-shirt and dark pants, he spoke briefly to reporters, saying, “I’m very happy… Thank you for a good Christmas! from behind the car window.
Veloso’s case caused an uproar in the Philippines. She went to Indonesia in 2010 where her employer, Maria Kristina Sergio, is said to have told her the domestic work that was waiting for her. Sergio is said to have given the suitcase in which the drugs were found.
In 2015, Indonesia transferred Veloso to an island prison where he and eight other drug convicts were sentenced to death by firing squad despite objections from Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana and Nigeria.
Indonesia executed eight other prisoners, and Veloso was given a reprieve because Sergio was arrested in the Philippines just two days before his execution.
The acquittal provided an opportunity for Veloso’s testimony to reveal how the gang tricked him into becoming an unwitting friend and emissary in the drug trade.
The head of Yogyakarta’s women’s prison, Evi Loliancy, said Veloso was participating in various prison events organized by prison officials, including organizing fashion shows featuring inmates’ designs and learning to dance.
“Mary Jane wants to help her fellow inmates, and is able to inspire them to be creative,” Loliancy said. “He’s going to miss us a lot and we’re here.”
Veloso said, being very happy when they heard that they would be reunited with their family, but they were a little shocked and sad when they were about to leave. “But we’re all happy for him and we wish him all the best,” Loliancy said.
Veloso will need to spend a few days at the Pondok Bambu Women’s Prison in Jakarta while waiting for her plane tickets and travel documents, said Sohibur Rachman, head of the Immigration Department.
Rachman said his ministry is cooperating with the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta to repatriate Veloso. He has yet to say when his return will take place but unconfirmed reports said his flight to Manila is scheduled for early Wednesday.
The United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug trafficking hub despite having some of the strictest laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its youth.
The last execution in Indonesia took place in July 2016, when one Indonesian and three other foreigners were shot dead.
About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, data from the Department of Immigration and Corrections showed from last month.
Five Australians who spent nearly 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia on Sunday under an agreement reached between the Indonesian and Australian governments.
Indonesia recently agreed to return a French citizen to his country.
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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press reporter Dita Alangkara contributed this report.