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A Filipino A woman on death row in Indonesia – who was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015 – was transferred late Sunday to a women’s prison in the Indonesian capital, where she will be returned to her homeland.
Mary Jane Veloso, who spent nearly 15 years at Indonesian jailed for drug trafficking, was allowed to return home after Indonesia and the Philippines signed a “practical arrangement” agreement on Dec. 6, following a decade of pleading from Manila.
In a tearful interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Veloso described the decision as “like a miracle when I lost all hope.”
“For almost 15 years, I was separated from my children and parents and could not see my children grow up,” she said. “I want 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 discovered about 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin hidden in her luggage. A single mother of two sons was sentenced to death.
Veloso maintained her innocence during her 14 years in prison. She spent time in prison designing Indonesian batik clothing, painting, tailoring and learning other skills.
Shortly before midnight on Sunday, she was escorted through a throng of journalists outside the women’s prison in Yogyakarta to a waiting van in Jakartaabout 460 kilometers (285 miles) away.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and dark pants, she only briefly commented to reporters: “I’m so happy… Thank you very much and Merry Christmas!” from the window of the vehicle.
The Velos case caused a public outcry in the Philippines. She traveled to Indonesia in 2010, where her recruiter, Maria Kristina Sergio, allegedly told her there was a job waiting for her as a domestic worker. Sergio allegedly also gave the suitcase in which the drugs were found.
In 2015, Indonesia moved Veloso to an island prison where she and eight other drug convicts were to be executed despite objections from Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana and Nigeria.
Indonesia executed eight of the convicts, and Veloso was granted a stay of execution because Sergio was arrested in the Philippines just two days before his scheduled execution.
The adjournment provided an opportunity for Velos’ testimony to expose how the crime syndicate tricked her into becoming an unwitting accomplice and courier in the drug trade.
Yogyakarta Women’s Prison Chief Warden Evi Loliancy said Veloso was involved in various prison activities organized by correctional officers, including organizing fashion shows designed by inmates and learning to dance.
“Mary Jane loves to help her inmates and is able to motivate them to be creative,” said Lolianci. “She will miss us so much, and so will we here.”
She said Veloso was very happy when she found out she would be reunited with her family, but also a little nervous and sad when she was about to leave. “But we all cheered her on and wish her the best,” Loliancy said.
Veloso will have to stay in Jakarta’s Pondok Bambu Women’s Prison for several days while she waits for her plane tickets and travel documents, said Sohibur Rachman, an official at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.
Rachman said his ministry is coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Jakarta on the repatriation of Velos. He did not say when she would return, but unconfirmed reports said her flight to Manila was scheduled for early Wednesday morning.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-trafficking hub despite having some of the toughest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
The last executions in Indonesia took place in July 2016, when one Indonesian and three foreigners were killed by firing squad.
About 530 people have been sentenced to death in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, according to figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections as of last month.
Five Australians who spent nearly 20 years in Indonesian jails for heroin smuggling returned to Australia on Sunday under a deal between the Indonesian and Australian governments.
Indonesia recently agreed in principle to return a French citizen to his home country.
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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. Associated Press reporter Dita Alangkara contributed to this report.