Child of Two Nations: Indonesian Perspectives on the Case of Mary Jane Veloso

The case of Mary Jane Veloso who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for having allegedly attempted to smuggle in 2.6 kilos of heroin created a massive international outpouring of support. On the eve of her execution on 28 April 2015, the hashtags #SaveMaryJane and #BiarkanHidup, posted by increasingly frantic netizens, became the top trending topics on Twitter. This paper discusses materials such as Mary Jane Veloso’s letters to Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, the hundreds of tweets generated with the hashtag #BiarkanHidup and the statements of various individuals and organizations in Indonesian media which refer to her case. This will be followed by some reflections on the possibly changing nature of human rights in the era of intensifying labor migration.