My name is Maria and I’m writing this not just as a daughter but as someone who is holding onto hope with everything I have left beside my siblings.

Our mother, Debbie Voulgaris, is an Australian mother of five. She is kind, gentle, selfless, and would never harm anyone, least of all her own children. Our mother, Debbie, was wrongfully imprisoned overseas for something she didn’t do in December 2023.  The truth is, our mother was set up. Our mother was sent on what she believed was a business trip for her ex husband, my father, someone she trusted. What she didn’t know was that they were being used to unknowingly transport drugs by people disguised as business investors. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of my own mother’s freedom and life and she’s been fighting to prove her innocence since. 

She was sentenced to 15 years and 2 months. With her last appeal approaching, this is now her last chance to appeal. Her last hope and ours. She spent nearly a year facing the death penalty. She lived in fear every single day, not knowing whether she would live or die to see her children again. Can you imagine? She wasn’t allowed to speak to us, her own children for eight whole months. Eight months of silence. Do you know what that feels like? To not know if your mum is okay, to have no way of telling her you love her, no way of hearing her voice or letting her know you’re still there? It was unbearable. The trauma of it all still Is. My mum is not a drug trafficker and she is definitely not a criminal. She is a mother, my mother, our mother and she is innocent. All we are asking is for the world to hear our mother’s truth. To see the woman we know. She was manipulated, betrayed, and abandoned and now she’s being punished for something she didn’t do. It’s up to us, her children, and to those left listening and reading, to be her voice in Australia. 

I want to take a moment to say this with full respect in my heart. Despite the circumstances, my siblings and I absolutely love Taiwan. In fact, we encourage many Australians to visit as the people and country itself is so beautiful and welcoming. We respect the country, the laws, and the people. We also have a beautiful relationship with many of our mothers guards, as they’re very talkative and welcoming at the detention centre. We enjoy every trip to Taiwan as we always have the opportunity to meet new people. The kindness and empathy of the locals in Taiwan truly leaves us in awe every time. This fight is not against Taiwan and never will be. It’s about justice for my mother because the truth is, justice is not served until the right one who should be held accountable is in handcuffs. This is about my mum, an innocent woman who deserves to come home to her children and not be oceans away, on the other side of the country from her children. I am simply asking for her voice to be heard, for her story to be seen with open hearts and minds. The people who used her should be the ones held accountable. Not her. Not the woman who gave us everything. Not the woman who has already lost so much physically and mentally in such little time. 

Please. If you’ve ever loved someone so deeply it hurt, if you’ve ever wanted to protect your family, if you’ve ever hoped that justice could win, then you understand where my grief stems from. I’m begging you to stand with us. Help us bring our mum home by the will of God. Help us give her back the life that was stolen. Help our family be whole again. And that can all be done by signing the petition, sharing the petition and helping us spread awareness. It’s our last chance to save our mother.
Her name is Debbie Voulgaris. And she is innocent.

Please sign. Please share and Please don’t let her be forgotten. Below is the link to my mother’s documentary. 

https://youtu.be/9SUsIAmA0ss?si=0TZsf8OEQ_3nXDk0