Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A total of 203 Indonesian migrant workers are currently known to be facing the death penalty in a number of foreign countries, the task force trying to save them said.

Humphrey Jemat, spokesman of the Task Force for Indonesian Citizens/Migrant Workers Facing Capital Punishment, said here Wednesday, the number included 37 about to be executed or given severe punishment in Saudi Arabia.

The cases of three of the 37 in Saudi Arabia, namely of Tuti Tursilawati, Siti Zaanab and Satinah, were now in a legally critical stage.

In Malaysia, 149 Indonesian citizens/migrant workers were facing the death sentence, in China 14, in Iran one, in Singapore one and in Brunei Darussalam another one.

The task force had formed a team tasked with making special approaches (to the foreign authorities and private parties concerned) through standard operational procedures to save the Indonesians from capital punishment.

"We have hired lawyers on a permanent basis in two countries, namely four in Malaysia and two in Saudi Arabia," Humphrey said.

In Saudi Arabia, the case of migrant workers Tuti Tursilawati who had killed her employer was now going through a critical stage in a local court. Her dossier had been returned to the court handling her case for the purpose of a review.

"If there is a novum or new evidence, it is not impossible Tuti will escape execution by decapitation," he said, adding the review process in Tuti`s case could take three months.

While Tuti`s lawyer was trying to find a novum, the task force`s special team, assisted by the Indonesian embassy in Riyadh, would keep on making efforts to reach a conciliatory settlement with the victim`s family, he said.
(T.B019/HAJM/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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