RI worker may escape execution for murder

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian worker facing execution for murder in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, may escape death because the family of the victim, his own wife, pardoned him yesterday.

Dimyati Usro, 40, reportedly killed his Indonesian wife Jumanah last year after a quarrel. There has so far been no official statement on whether the man has been found guilty, but labor activists from the Solidaritas Perempuan (Women's Solidarity) organization said that he had.

The organization sent The Jakarta Post a copy of the family's statement of mercy. Signed by Jumanah's mother and her two children from a previous marriage, the statement said the family "sincerely" forgave Dimyati, whose real name is Kangkung Amaq Nali.

"We hope the court will consider (lifting the death sentence from Dimyati) after we grant him mercy," the family said in the statement.

Copies of the letter have been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for forwarding to the Indonesian consular general's office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and to the Ministry of Manpower and the media.

Under Islamic laws applied in Saudi Arabia, only pardon from a murder victim's family can save a convicted murderer from execution. Those condemned to death are beheaded by sword.

Jumanah's mother Inaq Natih, 60, and her children, 19-year-old Ratna Diwi and 17-year-old Rusdianto, issued the pardon from their home village of Kawo, Pujut subdistrict, Lombok Tengah regency, West Nusa Tenggara.

The village lies 50 kilometers east of Mataram, the provincial capital.

Jumanah's real name of Peku Binti Amaq Natih was cited in the letter. She was 35 years old and, according to Antara yesterday, she went to Saudi Arabia with Dimyati on Umrah (minor haj pilgrimage) visas early last year.

The news agency said Dimyati, who is being held in the Al Islahiyah prison in Mecca, allegedly killed his wife in April last year.

Dimyati's brother, Usman, said the couple left for Saudi Arabia through the Central Java town of Cilacap. They changed their names to Dimyati and Jumanah for reasons which have yet to be clarified.

Dimyati has four children from his first marriage, Supartin, 17, Dewi Sartikawani, 15, Alawi, 10, and Jamilah, 7.

Dimyati and Jumanah married three months before departing for Saudi Arabia.

Dimyati's first wife, Lum, followed the couple to work there as a maid and was aware of the murder. She returned home in order to tell Jumanah's family.

Last year, Indonesians were shocked to hear that a migrant worker, Solehah Anam Kadiran, was beheaded in Mecca last September for killing her employer.

The public were further outraged when they learned that Nasiroh Karmudin, another female Indonesian worker in Saudi Arabia, was facing execution for a similar crime.

Intensive diplomatic efforts worked in Nasiroh's favor and she escaped the death penalty after one of the murdered man's wives pardoned her. Nasiroh still has to complete a five-year prison term, which ends in September.

Yesterday, labor exports expert, Yunus Yamani, urged the Ministry of Manpower to again send the Association of Labor Export Companies' (Apjati) team of lawyers, who were successful in attempts to commute Nasiroh's execution.

"Apjati must accept their moral responsibility to defend our migrant workers abroad, especially those who are currently facing trouble," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The large number of problems caused and faced by Indonesian's employed in Saudi Arabia prompted the government to launched a massive airlift operation last November which brought about 24,000 workers home.

There are 600,000 Indonesians working legally in Saudi Arabia. Most of them are women. (aan)