Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina nearly executed in Indonesia, arrives at

home

Mother of two, who became a poster child for anti-trafficking groups, now awaits potential pardon in a Manila prison

A Filipina who spent nearly 15 years on death row in Indonesia and was almost executed by firing squad has returned home, where she now awaits a potential pardon in a women’s prison.

Mary Jane Veloso, 39, landed at Manila airport early on Wednesday following a repatriation deal between the two countries that eliminated the threat of her execution, as the Philippines has long abolished the death penalty.

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The mother of two was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after a suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin.

She flew home without handcuffs alongside Filipino correctional officials on an overnight commercial flight after a Jakarta ceremony marking “the end of a harrowing chapter in Veloso’s life”, the corrections bureau said in a statement.

Veloso was flanked by heavy security upon her arrival at the airport and was transported straight to a prison facility for women. Her family and dozens of supporters chanting slogans such as “Clemency for Mary Jane” and “Free, free Mary Jane” who were waiting outside the terminal failed to greet Veloso on her arrival