JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS – The rights denfeder Amnesty International Indonesia has hailed the repatriation of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino woman who had spent nearly 15 years on death row in Indonesia, as an important step in the ongoing fight against the death penalty in the country.

The Indonesian government’s decision to transfer Veloso to the Philippines, where the death penalty has been abolished, is seen as a positive development, but it must be followed by stronger measures to address human rights issues related to capital punishment.

Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, emphasized that this repatriation should not be viewed as a final solution but rather as a pivotal moment that must inspire broader reforms in Indonesia’s approach to the death penalty.

“The transfer of Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines ensures that she will not face execution, and this should be a stepping stone for the government to take further action toward upholding human rights,” he said.

The transfer of Veloso to the Philippines represents a victory for human rights, as it ensures she will be spared from the execution that had been pending for nearly a decade. The Philippines, a nation that abolished the death penalty years ago, will now be responsible for her case. However, Hamid called on the Indonesian government to go further by abolishing the death penalty entirely and taking immediate steps to halt all executions.

“Repatriating Veloso is a significant step, but it is not enough. Indonesia must move forward by removing the death sentence status for all those on death row and establishing a formal moratorium on executions,” Hamid said. He stressed that this would bring Indonesia closer to aligning with global trends in favor of the abolition of capital punishment.