APRIL 24 (Reuters) – The family of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Filipina on death row in Indonesia, said on Friday (April 24) they were hopeful for a last-minute pardon ahead of her planned execution.
Veloso, one of the 10 drug convicts who will be facing execution by firing squad, was moved to prison island of Nusakambangan on Friday.
“We are still hoping that as long as she’s still alive, God will make a miracle. It hurts when we heard that she had been transferred, but even then we still hope for a miracle,” said Veloso’s mother Celia Veloso at Jakarta airport.
The family will be heading to Yogyakarta but it is not clear whether they will visit Veloso on Nusakambangan Island.
Indonesia has asked foreign embassies to send representatives to a maximum security prison ahead of the expected execution of 10 drug convicts, although an official 72-hour notice of execution has not been given yet, diplomats said on Friday.
Minerva Lopez, Veloso’s lawyer from the Philippines said her legal team has not received information about the execution.
“We have not received any notification except the letter but it’s in Bahasa (Indonesia), it was roughly translated to us. It is a letter that was referred by the spokesman of Attorney General that informing (us) that the authority preparing for the transfer,” said Lopez.
Among the convicted drug offenders set to face the firing squad are nationals from Australia, Brazil, France and Nigeria and the case has strained relations between the governments of those nations and Indonesia.
Lopez also said that lawyers will continue to appeal.
“The filing of the second judicial review will still push through on Monday (April 27),” said Lopez.
Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay met his Indonesian counterpart, Jusuf Kalla, on the sidelines of a Jakarta conference this week to appeal for mercy on behalf of the Philippine prisoner. He was expected to make a final plea to President Joko Widodo at a ceremony on Friday.
Indonesia has harsh punishments for drug crimes and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap. Six executions have been carried out so far this year. (Reuters)
