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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.

Iran | Executions in KhorramAbad, Isfahan

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According to the Iran Human Rights Society, on Monday, December 25, 2023, at least four prisoners accused of drug offenses executed in the central prisons of KhorramAbad and Isfahan.

Execution in KhorramAbad Central Prison

On Saturday, December 23, 2023, two prisoners accused of drug offenses named Khodakaram Lorestan and also Hossein Mousivand executed in KhorramAbad Central Prison.

Khodakaram Lorestan, 50 years old, from Borujerd, was arrested four years ago for drug-related charges and sentenced to death.

Hossein Mousivand, 40 years old from KhorramAbad, was arrested about five years ago.

Execution in Isfahan Central Prison

Early in the morning on Saturday, December 23, 2023. Two prisoners accused of drug offenses named Shirali Saeedi and Saman Mogooee were executed in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.

Shirali Saeedi, 36 years old, a butcher, was arrested three years ago for drug-related charges and sentenced to death.

The other prisoner, Saman Mogooeei, was a 31-year-old young man.

There are also reports of the execution of another prisoner named Reza Kashavarzi.

Execution is a type of punishment and considered the harshest penalty for convicts. Currently, most countries have abolished the death penalty. And even in countries where this type of punishment still exists in their laws, they refrain from issuing or implementing such sentences except in rare cases. 

The death penalty is legal in Iran and included in the judicial rulings for some political crimes, murder, rape, child sexual abuse, sodomy, drug trafficking, etc.

The execution of prisoners on drug charges is carried out in Iran’s prisons in a situation where the drug cartels are run and also managed by the Revolutionary Guards.

Source: iranhrs.org, Staff, December 26, 2023


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Location: Iran
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