TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has successfully released two Indonesians from death penalty in Arab Saudi in the past week. Director of Indonesian Protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said that the liberation attempt was facilitated by the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Jeddah and the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Riyadh.

The Indonesian protection team in KJRI Jeddah released Masamah binti Raswa Sanusi from death penalty imposed by a court in Tabuk located around 1,000 kilometers from Jeddah on March 13, 2017. Masamah, an Indonesian from Cirebon, was charged with death penalty for an alleged murder of her employer’s 11-years-old child back in 2009.

"The final decree was supposed to be read in a trial on March 13, 2017. However, the judges decided to postpone [the trial] to examine the testimony of the witnesses," Iqbal said in a written statement on Thursday, March 16, 2017.

While the trial was on hold, the Indonesian protection team take on the opportunity to approach the victim's father and persuade him to forgive Masamah, and succeeded.

The victim’s parents read a statement in front of the judges, saying that they had forgiven Masamah unconditionally and without needs for an apology. Mussamah is currently in the process of being repatriated to Indonesia.

"I the event of a qishash death penalty, the only party that can extend forgiveness is the victim's heir. We need to be persistent in persuading the victim's father. That is what we’ve been doing for quite some time. Thank God, the results are good," said KJRI Jeddah consular official Rahmat Aming and Legal Attache of the KBRI in Riyadh Muhibuddin.

Meanwhile, in a court in Dammam, some 450 kilometers away from Riyadh, another Indonesian identified as Mimin bintin Samtari, had also been released from death penalty and has been repatriated to Indonesia in March 14, 2017.

Iqbal explained that Mimin was alleged for witchcraft against her employer and was arrested since March 2012. In an effort to free Mimin, the KBRI appointed legal attorney Abdullah Al Aqsa in Dammam to provide legal counsel. After five years, the Dammam court has finally decided to free Mimin.

"This is the result of the KBRI’s and the legal attorney's long struggle. We have faith that Mimin was innocent from the very beginning," Muhibuddin said.

Currently, there are 19 Indonesians under threat of death penalty in Saudi Arabia. As many as 14 people were arrested for alleged murder, four were arrested for adultery, and one Indonesian was arrested for allegedly practicing witchcraft.

LARISSA HUDA