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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.

WCADP condemns acceleration of executions in Japan

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The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) is deeply concerned about the accelerated pace of executions in Japan and continued secrecy regarding the executions.

Four persons were executed on 10 April 2008, bringing to seven the number of persons executed in 2008. According to Amnesty International, ten executions have been carried out in less than six months.

Executions are held in secret. Relatives are informed of the executions only after they have taken place, and until December 2007, the names of the persons executed were not made public. The WCADP appeals to the Japanese government to put an end to this practice, contrary to human dignity.

On 18 December 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed with a large majority a resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty worldwide.

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty calls upon the Japanese government to follow the recommendation of the resolution and apply a formal moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

WCADP Press release
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