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)