Alwi to leave for UAE to save maid on death row

Alwi to leave for UAE to save maid on death row

JAKARTA (JP): Foreign minister Alwi Shihab says he will go to
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this month to plead for the
life of Indonesian maid Kartini bin Karim, who has been sentenced
to death for adultery.

Alwi said here on Saturday that he intended to go to Abu Dhabi
after going on the haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

"I will go there (UAE) after my haj pilgrimage. Don't worry,
in the end she will survive," Alwi assured journalists.

"We are trying to persuade the court to see Kartini as a
powerless maid, and maybe she confessed to the charge because of
pressure from other parties," Alwi added, noting that Kartini's
case and sentencing occurred without the knowledge of the
Indonesian Embassy there.

Manpower ministry's Director General of Labor Placement Din
Syamsuddin is expected to leave for UAE on Monday along with
women activists to help the migrant worker seek clemency.

Earlier on Thursday, State Minister of the Empowerment of
Women Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who was on a visit to New York,
on behalf of the Indonesian government went one step further by
lodging a request through Emirate officials at the UN to help
Kartini in her plight.

"On behalf of the Indonesian government, I have asked the UAE
representative to the United Nations, Mohammed J. Samhan, for
amnesty for Kartini" Parawansa was quoted by Antara as saying in
New York.

The 35-year-old maid was sentenced on Feb. 28 in a court
hearing to be stoned to death for adultery with Indian citizen
Muhammad Sulaiman Frangoan. She gave birth to her baby five
months ago.

Kartini had worked in the Emirates since February 1998 in
Fujairah city as a housemaid, while Muhammed was also employed
there.

Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi in a statement made available
to The Jakarta Post said the UAE government had granted an
Indonesian appeal for Kartini on Feb. 29 which would be heard in
before a court on March 6.

The appeal was accepted on the consideration that Kartini is a
foreign citizen and cannot fluently speak the local language.

Kartini has been advised to reject the services of local
lawyers as the embassy will provide one for her.

The embassy said it only learned of Kartini's fate on Feb. 28.
It claimed it had not been notified of the case by local police,
Kartini's employers, agency or even the Fujairah court.

Religion

Alwi, who is known as a noted Muslim scholar, on Saturday also
threw his support behind the argument put forth by Minister of
Religious Affairs Tolchah Hasan who earlier last week contended
that there was nothing in Islamic law stating that an unmarried
women should be sentenced to death for adultery.

Alwi said the major problem in Kartini's case was the absence
of a translator and that the indictment was read out without the
understanding of Kartini as the defendant.

"She did not even understand the questions from the court," he
remarked, adding that the Indonesian government was now providing
legal assistance and a translator for Kartini.

Alwi pledged that this latest case only reaffirmed the
government's commitment to strengthen the protection for
Indonesian migrant workers around the world to avoid this kind of
incident from occurring again.

"The government has an obligation to protect its citizens,
even when they are guilty," he remarked.

Nevertheless, Alwi said that the latest case was a delicate
issue that should be handled carefully. He said one of his
office's main goals was to ensure continued good relations
between the two governments. (dja)