Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Charles Honoris, a member of the Commission I of the House of Representatives, has called for strict moratorium on sending workers to countries weak in human rights protection.

Saudi Arabia is one of the countries with weak practices of human rights protection, Charles said in a discussion on "Long list of Indonesian migrant workers sentenced to death," at the Parliament building here on Thursday.

The call came amid an uproar over the death execution earlier this week of an Indonesian migrant worker in Saudi Arabia without first notification to Indonesian representatives in that country.

Tuti Tursilawati, who worked as a housemaid for a family in the city of Thaif, was sentenced to death and executed on October 29 for murdering her employer.

This migrant worker from Majalengka, West Java Province, told the court in her trial that she committed the murder in self defense, saying she had been sexually abused and treated with violence by her employer.

Charles said the government should send workers only to countries where human rights are well protected.

There is no regulation requiring notification to representatives of a country of legal execution against a citizen of that country in Saudi Arabia.

International law requires notification first to representatives of a country when its citizen is facing death execution, he said, adding, "Saudi Arabia has violated international law."

The politician of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle also asked the government not to execute convicts in death row that it would have strong arguments when protesting death execution of its citizens abroad.

"Otherwise Indonesia would be accused of adopting double standards, he said.

Indonesia also has a number of convicts mainly drug convicts facing death execution , but no execution has been put off in the past three years after strong international condemnation over the execution of a number of drug convicts in death row in the first year of the present regime in power.

Reporting by Riza Harahap
Editing Albert Saragih, Rahmad Nasution

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
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