An Indonesian maid has been executed in Saudi Arabia for killing her boss as he was trying to rape her.
Sparking outrage and protests in Jakarta, Tuti Tursilawati, a Mother of one, was executed in Ta’if, a city in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca Province on October 29th. Neither her family nor consulate staff were notified.
Tuti was one of 16 Indonesian nationals on death row in Saudi Arabia. She had been arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death for the murder of her employer, which she claimed was done in self defense to protect herself from sexual abuse.
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Within Nigeria reports: The Saudi government failed to warn the maid’s family or consular staff before she was killed, said officials. Her execution has prompted protests from Indonesia.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo called Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, demanding to know why Jakarta had not been informed about Monday’s execution of Tuti Tursilawati.
It was the fourth time in three years that Saudi Arabia had failed to notify Jakarta before executing an Indonesian migrant worker.
Mr Widodo was quoted as saying by the office of his cabinet secretary: We have called Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and conveyed our protest.
The Saudi ambassador to Indonesia had been summoned to discuss the matter, the president added.
Indonesian advocacy group Migrant Care said in September that Ms Tuti Tursilawati had been defending herself from being raped.
Abidin Fikri, a member of Indonesia’s parliament, criticized the killing, saying: The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ignored principles of human rights, including a right for everyone to live.
Ms Tursilawati was executed just a week after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister al-Jubeir, met his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, and Mr Widodo in Jakarta to discuss migrant workers’ rights. During the meeting, Mr Marsudi emphasised the importance of having a mandatory consular notification before carrying out death penalties.
Amnesty International Indonesia said that Saudi Arabia had damaged diplomatic ties and had behaved unethically following the execution of the mother-of-one.
Niamh Harris
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