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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.

Death penalty is torture: U.N. expert

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Death Row In Japanese Prison
The U.N. special rapporteur on torture has said the death penalty is increasingly being viewed as cruel, inhuman treatment that is tantamount to torture, and called for a thorough examination of its legality.

In presenting a report Tuesday to the human rights committee of the U.N. General Assembly, Juan Mendez touched on the treatment of death-row inmates kept in solitary confinement without knowledge of their date of execution.

Such treatment "contributes to the risk of serious and irreparable mental and physical harm and suffering to the inmate," Mendez said, although he didn't single out any countries.

His remarks could be interpreted as a warning for Japan, which continues both of these practices for inmates sentenced to hang.

Source: Japan Times, October 25, 2012
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