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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.

President al-Assad Grants General Amnesty for Crimes Committed before October 23, 2012

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President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday issued the legislative decree No. 71 for 2012 stipulating for granting a general amnesty for the crimes committed before October 23, 2012.

The decree replaces death penalty with life sentence of hard labor or long imprisonment sentence according to the crime.

It also replaces life sentence of hard labor with 20 years imprisonment with hard labor, and it replaces the long-life imprisonment sentence with 20 years imprisonment.

Crimes of smuggling weapons and drug trafficking are excluded from the provision of this decree.

Source: Syrian TV & Radio, October 23, 2012

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