RI woman executed in Mecca

RI woman executed in Mecca

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia
identified yesterday an Indonesian woman who was executed by the
Saudi government Tuesday as Sulaita Anam Kasiran.

Andi Alahuddin, an embassy information officer, told The
Jakarta Post by phone from Riyadh that Sulaita, presumably a
domestic servant, was beheaded by sword in the western region of
Mecca.

She had been convicted by an Islamic court for killing a Saudi
woman, believed to be her employer, with an ax. There were no
other details of the woman, whose name was not registered with
the Indonesian Embassy.

News of the execution, announced by the interior ministry, was
carried out in Al Jazirah and Arab News local newspapers
yesterday, Andi said.

He declined to say whether or not the embassy had appealed on
her behalf to have her sentence commuted to life imprisonment.

An Indonesian source familiar with the case said the embassy
had learned of Sulaista's detention two years ago.

"The Saudi government sent a list (of detainees) to the
Indonesian Embassy at Riyadh at the time," said the source, who
requested anonymity.

The Indonesian consulate general in Jeddah repeatedly
requested to visit Sulaita, but penitentiary officials refused
the requests without any explanation, he said.

The source said Sulaita may have gone to work in Saudi Arabia
like thousands of Indonesian women who were mostly employed as
domestic helpers.

She may also have entered the country as a pilgrim performing
umroh (minor pilgrimage), but later overstayed her visa, like
many thousands of Indonesians intending to work there do.

On the same day Sulaita was beheaded, the Saudi government
also executed a Saudi man in the northern town of Hail, AFP
reported Tuesday.

This brings number of the executions announced in the country
to 112 so far this year, the news agency said.

Strict Islamic laws prescribe death sentence for murderers,
rapists, armed robbers and drug traffickers. (aan/09)