Family of OFW on death row in Indonesia asks for clemency

(Reuters) — Family members of a Filipino migrant facing execution in Indonesia for drug smuggling appealed for clemency at the Indonesian Embassy on Wednesday (April 8).

Migrant rights activists accompanied the family members to hand over the appeal to Indonesian authorities.

Celia Veloso, mother of convicted Filipino migrant Mary Jane Veloso, begged for both countries to save her daughter.

"For the past five years, I've been asking for help but there had been no response until I've lost faith, but again I ask for our president's help to save my daughter," she said.

Veloso, a 30-year-old mother of two children, was convicted by an Indonesian court for attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia in 2010.

She denied the allegations, but the Indonesia's Supreme Court upheld its ruling and ordered her execution.

The Philippines has applied for a judicial review on her case, but was recently rejected by the Indonesian court. It is planning to apply for a second judicial review in a last-minute effort to save the Filipino migrant.

Veloso was among the 10 drug convicts due to be executed on the prison island of Nusakambangan. Others in the group include citizens of France, Brazil, Australia, Ghana, Nigeria and Indonesia.

The Indonesian court has yet to decide on a definitive schedule of the execution, but hinted it could happen after the Asian-African Conference due to take place in Indonesia's capital Jakarta later this month.

Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap.

The country's President Joko Widodo has pledged no mercy for drug offenders, saying the country is facing a "drug emergency." Indonesia is a major destination for drugs trafficked in the region.