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Indonesia | 14 years on death row: Timeline of Mary Jane Veloso’s ordeal and fight for justice

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MANILA, Philippines — The case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking, has spanned over a decade and remains one of the most high-profile legal battles involving an overseas Filipino worker. Veloso was arrested on April 25, 2010, at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin. She was sentenced to death in October – just six months after her arrest. Indonesia’s Supreme Court upheld the penalty in May 2011.

Canada Seeks Clemency From Saudis

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OTTAWA — The government will ask Saudi Arabia for clemency in the case of a 23-year-old Canadian who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by beheading.

Neil Hrab, a spokesman for the foreign affairs minister, Maxime Bernier, confirmed the government’s decision on Wednesday and added that Canada would help the family of the Canadian, Mohamed Kohail, to appeal his case.

Mr. Kohail was born in Saudi Arabia but moved with his family to Montreal as a teenager. In January 2007, while the Kohail family was temporarily living in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Kohail became involved in a brawl at a school his younger brother attended. He was charged with killing a teenager during the fight, and a court in Jidda convicted him.

Canada does not have a death penalty, but its current Conservative government recently abandoned a longstanding policy of automatically coming to the aid of all Canadians sentenced to death, including those jailed in the United States.

Source : The New York Times
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