Indonesia Respects Philippines' Decision to Pardon Mary Jane - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the Indonesian government respects the Philippine government's decision to grant absolute clemency to Mary Jane Veloso.
This is because, Yusril said, under an agreement between the two countries, responsibility for the handling of the death-row prisoner convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia has been fully transferred to Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
"The Indonesian government is already aware of the matter, and it has also been widely reported by the mass media," Yusril said on Saturday, as quoted by ANTARA.
As the agreement is reciprocal, Yusril said if an Indonesian prisoner in the Philippines is ever repatriated to Indonesia, the responsibility for the prisoner's rehabilitation will also be transferred to the Indonesian government.
Thus, he stated that if the Indonesian prisoner in the Philippines were sentenced to life imprisonment, the Indonesian President would also have the right to grant clemency to secure the prisoner's release.
Mary Jane Veloso is a death-row prisoner convicted of smuggling 2.6 kilograms of heroin; she was arrested at Adisutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta in April 2010.
The Sleman District Court sentenced Mary Jane to death in October 2010. The Indonesian government subsequently transferred her to the Philippines in December 2024 to serve her sentence in her home country.
Mary Jane was officially handed over to the Philippine Bureau of Corrections on December 18, 2024, and placed in the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong, Manila. On September 25, 2026, the Philippine president confirmed having signed an absolute pardon for Mary Jane.
Mary Jane’s repatriation is part of a significant agreement between the Indonesian and Philippine governments, formalized through the signing of a "practical arrangement" by Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and the Philippine Undersecretary for Legal Services and Legislative Liaison, Raul Vasquez, on December 6, 2024.
The agreement reaffirms both countries' commitment to diplomacy, international cooperation, and respect for each nation's legal sovereignty.
There are four important provisions within that practical arrangement. The first is respect for the rule of law. The second provision concerns serving the sentence. After being transferred to the Philippines, Mary Jane will continue to serve her sentence in accordance with Philippine law. The third provision is the ban on re-entering Indonesia. The fourth provision concerns access to information.
The Philippine government is committed to providing the Indonesian government with information about how Mary Jane's sentence is being carried out following her transfer.
