TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi had asked the Saudi Arabia government for giving clemency to migrant worker Muhammad Zaini Misrin. Zaini was beheaded on Sunday, March 18, for allegedly murdered his employer, Abdullah bin Umar Muhammad Al-Sindy.
Migrant Care Executive Director Wahyu Susilo said Zaini was pressured to admit the accusation. "According to Zaini, he was forced by the authorities to confess," Wahyu said when contacted by Tempo on Monday, March 19.
Based on Migrant Care records, Zaini was a legal migrant worker from Bangkalan District, East Java. He departed to Saudi Arabia since 1992 through a migrant worker service company, PT Damas Atmanco in Jakarta.
Zaini worked as a personal driver of Abdullah’s family. On July 13, 2004, Saudi Arabian police suddenly arrested Zaini following the death of his employer.
Read: Zaini Misrin Execution Sparks Protest at Saudi Arabian Embassy
Foreign Affairs Ministry stated during the trial for four years until the death sentence, Saudi authorities had never submitted a mandatory consular notification to the Consulate General of Indonesia in Jeddah. Furthermore, Zaini did not get a chance to discuss his legal matter with the Consulate during the trial until the verdict pronounced.
Zaini was only allowed to contact the Consulate General in Jeddah after the death sentence was given on November 17, 2008. According to him, at the hearing, he did not get a neutral and impartial translator and got pushed by the translator and the police to plead guilty.
Since 2009, the Consulate General had sent a letter requesting clemency for Zaini to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Saudi Arabia. They also accompanied Zaini during the judicial review on October 18, 2009.
The Consulate General continued to issue the re-investigation of the case by submitting new evidence. However, the re-investigation conducted during 2011-2014 did not work and Zaini remained to stay behind bars.
President Joko Widodo also made three appeals for Zaini's forgiveness to the Saudi Arabia government. The first request he brought up was in a meeting with King Salam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during his state official visit to Saudi Arabia, September 2015.
Jokowi again filed a pardon at the time King Salman visited Indonesia in March 2017. The last request sent to the Saudi Arabia government for Zaini Misrin’ clemency was in November 2017. However, the Saudi government ignored the request and beheaded the migrant worker on Sunday, March 18, 2018.
M ROSSENO AJI
