Mary Jane Veloso renewed her appeal for freedom in an open letter from prison on Jan. 28, thanking supporters and urging continued public advocacy as she marks one year of detention in the Philippines.
Veloso, a Filipina trafficking victim transferred from Indonesia to the Philippines in December 2024 after her execution was halted, is currently detained at the Correctional Institute for Women.
In her letter, she described the emotional and financial strain her continued imprisonment has placed on her family.
“I want you to know how difficult it has been for me to see my parents who are already of old age, traveling all the way from Nueva Ecija, for 8-10 hours just to visit me,” Veloso wrote.
“And they have to find money for transport fares and food they can bring for me. They put aside their own health conditions and their old age to ease their longing for me,” she added.
Veloso maintained that she committed no wrongdoing, including in the Philippines, and expressed gratitude to supporters who campaigned for the suspension of her death sentence in 2015 and her return home in 2024.
“I hope to be given the opportunity to take care of my parents while they are still alive and especially my children whom I did not have the chance to watch grow up,” she wrote. “I want to make them feel that they have a mother who loves them very much.”
The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has received several petitions and appeals seeking clemency for Veloso, but none has been granted, according to Migrante International.
Supporters and members of her family have also sought to expedite her case against her alleged traffickers and filed a habeas corpus petition questioning the legality of her continued detention.
Migrante International called on the Filipino people and the international community to continue supporting Veloso’s campaign for freedom.
“Together, our voices and protests saved the life of Mary Jane from execution,” said Joanna Concepcion, chairperson of Migrante International. “Now, as Marcos Jr. refuses to hear her every appeal for her freedom, let us collectively amplify Mary Jane’s story and voice from prison to Malacañang and win her the justice and freedom she deserves.”
Migrante said it would continue working to support Veloso’s pursuit of justice and freedom within her parents’ lifetime.
