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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 | Man executed in Qazvin

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); March 14, 2024: Behzad Bidrang, a man on death row for drug-related charges, was executed in Qazvin Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Qazvin Central Prison on 14 March. 

His identity has been established as 42-year-old Behzad Bidrang, a father of two from Ajab Shir in East Azerbaijan province.

Behzad was arrested for drug-related charges two years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. 

According to IHRNGO’s Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020.

Source: iranhr.net, Staff, March 14, 2024

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Location: Qazvin, Qazvin Province, Iran
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