Hundreds of TKIs Face Death Penalty in Malaysia, Official Says
27 February 2015 19:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member, Paul Liyanto has said that around 200 Indonesian migrant workers (TKIs) are facing the threat of the death penalty in Malaysia.
The figure does not include the number of TKIs who are facing similar threats in the Middle East - the amount of which is quite significant, said Liyanto in Kupang on Friday, February 27, 2015.
According to Liyanto, these TKIs are facing the death penalty due to their involvement in several criminal cases, which they committed after having faced severe abuses from their employees, which includes rape and assault.
"Many of these TKIs committed crimes such as murder and assault in retaliation after having been raped and/or assaulted by their employees," said Liyanto.
In such cases, Liyanto believes that the Indonesian government is obligated to provide legal aid to those who committed crimes in self-defense, and said that these TKIs came to work abroad to help - not to cause trouble. As such, defending them cannot be compared to defending Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, whose death penalties are not negotiable.
"The Prime Minister of Australia has to realise that defending those two does not make them heroes in the eyes of the public," added Liyanto, who said that their actions have caused the deaths and suffering of many Indonesians.
"If Australia really holds human rights in high regards, why don't they defend those who are facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia," said Liyanto, who is a DPD member from East Nusa Tenggara.
ANTARANEWS