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from a report by Karen Davila, ABS-CBN News
Other countries should respect Indonesia’s law imposing the death penalty on convicted drug traffickers.
That’s how Indonesian President Joko Widodo responded to calls for him to grant clemency to convicted drug traffickers on death row, including Filipino Mary Jane Veloso.
“We will practice our Constitution. The law does allow for execution and I think other countries should respect the Indonesian law,” Widodo said in an exclusive interview.
The Philippine embassy in Jakarta is working on a second appeal for Veloso, after Widodo rejected the first one.
“Yes, if they want to undergo a judicial review, they can go ahead. We respect the legal process. Indonesia has the rule of law,” Widodo said.
Veloso is facing execution in Indonesia for drug trafficking. She was caught in Yogjakarta airport in 2010, carrying nearly 3 kilos of heroin.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay is heading to Indonesia to personally appeal Veloso’s case.
Binay is attending the Asian African Summit in Bandung on April 22. He says he will use that visit to ask Widodo to spare Veloso.
“I am hoping that we will be given the opportunity to personally appeal to His Excellency’s kind heart for the commutation of the sentence of Mary Jane,” he said.
This story was re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
