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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.

Saudi executed for murder

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Saudi Arabia beheaded a man for murder on Thursday in the kingdom's southeastern region of Asir, the interior ministry said.

Zaher bin Ali al-Shihri was found guilty of stabbing fellow Saudi Mohammed bin Hadi al-Qahtani after a disagreement, according to a statement published on the official SPA news agency.

Shihri's beheading brings the total number of executions in the ultra-conservative kingdom to 21 so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on official reports.

Under the AFP count, at least 76 people were beheaded in 2011, while rights group Amnesty International put the number of executions last year at 79.

The death penalty in Saudi Arabia applies to a wide range of offenses including rape, apostasy, homosexuality armed robbery and drug trafficking, as well as murder, as stipulated by Islamic Sharia law.

Source: Agence France-Presse, April 26, 2012
Location: Arabie saoudite
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