The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) Women and Children Committee on Friday filed a Motion to Resolve, urging the Supreme Court of the Philippines to act on its Petition for Habeas Corpus filed on behalf of Mary Jane Veloso on Nov. 14, 2025.
In a statement, the NUPL said the petition seeks a judicial review of Veloso’s continued detention after returning to the Philippines from Indonesia, where she had previously been sentenced to death for alleged drug smuggling.
“As stated in the Petition, it is the position of Mary Jane Veloso that her continued incarceration at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), despite the absence of any judgment, treaty, or legislative authority in the Philippines expressly supporting the continued enforcement of Indonesia’s penal judgment, violates her fundamental rights,” the lawyers’ group said.
“The Petition further argues that, as a recognized victim of trafficking, her continued deprivation of liberty constitutes an injustice that must be addressed without delay.”
In a handwritten letter addressed to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and attached to the motion, Veloso said her prison record at the Correctional Institution for Women reflects a sentence of reclusion perpetua, which she believes has no legal basis.
Veloso said there is no legal basis for her detention in the country after spending 14 years in an Indonesian prison.
“I firmly believe there is no legal basis for my continued detention, especially under the sentence of reclusion perpetua. I have learned that this is the judgment stated in my prison record here at the CIW,” Veloso said in her letter, written in Filipino.
“I come before you as someone hoping for justice and compassion from our Supreme Court, and as a mother who has long been separated from her children. This coming Mother’s Day on May 10 will mark the 17th time I will be away from my two children. For that long, they have been without a mother to guide and care for them,” she added.
The NUPL said the petition raises important questions concerning Veloso’s right to liberty, due process, and the protection of trafficking victims under domestic and international law.
“Mary Jane’s letter is a deeply human appeal for justice. The writ of habeas corpus exists precisely to allow the courts to examine whether a person’s detention continues to have sufficient legal basis. We respectfully urge the Supreme Court to resolve the petition at the soonest possible time,” said NUPL lawyer Katerine Panguban.
“Behind every legal proceeding is a family waiting for resolution. Mary Jane is a mother who has spent 17 long years separated from her children. We hope that her petition will be given the urgent attention that cases involving trafficking victims deserve,” she added.
Veloso was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2010 and sentenced to death. She received a temporary reprieve in 2015 before being transferred back to the Philippines in 2024 following an agreement between the Philippine and Indonesian governments on prisoner transfer arrangements.
