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MANILA, Philippines – The youth members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations took a stand to save Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Mary Jane Veloso from execution by firing squad.
The ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF), through their Indonesian Youth Representative Ardhana Pragota, handed a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday, April 27.
The message, both in Bahasa and English, pleads for Widodo to exercise his executive powers to stop the execution of the 30-year-old mother of two “in the name of human rights and the spirit of humanity.”
“We, the ASEAN youth, are pleading to your pure heart and conscience to reconsider a stay of execution for Veloso and allow a second judicial review of her case,” the letter read.
AYF also stressed that like other young people from the region Veloso “dreamt of fulfilling a good life for her impoverished family.”
“She is not unique, in fact, she is one of the many young people who fell and are falling victim to many sociopolitical and economic evils,” they wrote in the letter.
Veloso is set to be executed on Tuesday, April 28, following a 72-hour notice given on Saturday, April 25.
Various organizations have expressed their sentiments against the execution order.
On Sunday, April 26, church groups launched a global call urging the international community to rally behind a petition appealing for clemency and pardon for Mary Jane. As of posting, the online petition has gathered about 30,000 signatures.
Asian netizens also called on the Indonesian President to save the OFW on death row.
The United Nations led by Ban Ki-moon urged Widodo to “consider declaring a moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia, with a view toward abolition.” – Rappler.com
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