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14 Indonesians on death row seek clemency


The Indonesian government has stepped up efforts to save the lives of 14 of its citizens who are on death row in Saudi Arabia for being convicted of involvement in a range of criminal cases, including murder."Our missions in Riyadh and Jeddah will provide legal assistance to these people and help them get a royal pardon or their sentences commuted," said an Indonesian diplomat while reacting to a recent report on the cases. He refused to divulge more details about the cases. The report said the Indonesian government had managed to persuade the Saudi side to delay executions, citing appeals for clemency to some of the victims' families.


"We are intensifying our personal approach to family members of the victims," said the diplomat. The Indonesian side has already requested the Saudi government to grant royal clemency in some individual cases, but the host government has not responded so far, said another report obtained by Arab News yesterday.The report added that the Kingdom deported 24,020 Indonesians without valid work permits in 2008. Most of them were employed as housemaids.Between January and September last year, around 18,000 Indonesians working illegally in the Kingdom were deported. These workers lacked the necessary legal documents and had violated the terms of their visas, according to the Indonesian Embassy.Most of them entered the Kingdom using Umrah visas but stayed to work, while others had work visas that had expired. The report said more than 20,000 Indonesian workers are deported from Saudi Arabia each year.Some of 14 workers who are seeking pardon from the Saudi government were found guilty many years ago.


Siti Zainab was sentenced to death several years ago for killing her employer. The Indonesian Embassy has repeatedly approached her victim's family to secure a pardon for her. "The Indonesian president has written to the Saudi government twice about her case," said the report.The report claimed that some of these workers committed murders while acting in self-defense.Others have been handed death sentences for killing compatriots. Last year, the Indonesian Embassy succeeded in postponing the execution of six workers.
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