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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.

Amnesty International: Save Satinah Ahmad from execution in Saudi Arabia

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Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad
Time is running out for an Indonesian woman, in Saudi Arabia, who could be executed for the murder of her employer as early as 3 April.

41-year-old Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad confessed to striking and killing her employer, Nura al-Garib, in self-defence, after the woman attempted to smash her head against a wall.

Nura al-Garib’s family has requested diya (compensation or 'blood money') of 7 million riyals (AUD$2 million) in exchange for sparing Satinah Ahmad's life.

If full payment is not received by 3 April, the execution, possibly by beheading, will be carried out.

Foreign workers suffer greatly in Saudi Arabia. Some go unpaid. Some are beaten or even raped. If arrested, they're subjected to trials conducted solely in Arabic without translation and many have no money for a lawyer or family to turn to for help.

Without the resources to protect and defend themselves, migrant workers like Satinah Ahmad are at great risk of execution if they end up in the Saudi Arabian justice system.


Source: Amnesty International, March 2014
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