Pardon Mary Jane, Marcos urged

MANILA, Philippines — A group of international lawyers is pressing President Marcos to grant clemency to Mary Jane Veloso, the death row convict who was recently repatriated from Indonesia.

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) pleaded with Marcos to free Veloso by way of absolute pardon on compassionate grounds.

Marcos has said he is leaving it up to the judgment of legal experts to determine whether clemency for Veloso is appropriate.

For the IADL, Marcos passing the buck to legal experts is “just a bureaucratic excuse that is unnecessary.”

The IADL believes that Veloso, a victim of trafficking, has suffered long enough and the grant of clemency is a presidential prerogative, which may be given on a “humanitarian basis, without the need of a lengthy administrative and legal review by experts,” IADL president Jeanne Mirer said in a statement.

Veloso is being held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.

The IADL urged advocates of migrant workers’ rights, human rights defenders and other grassroots organizations to demand Veloso’s immediate and unconditional release.

Mirer said Veloso’s repatriation should also set a precedent for the Philippine government in addressing the cases of the 59 other Filipinos on death row worldwide.