The Indonesian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Returns To Return Indonesian Citizens After Being Free From The Murder Case Of Her Husband In Saudi Arabia

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (kemlu.go.id)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) has returned to repatriating an Indonesian citizen to his family in Bangkalan, East Java, after being free from the death penalty and fines for murder in Saudi Arabia.

The Indonesian citizen with the initials HMM was detained by the Saudi Arabian police and demanded the death penalty in 2009 after committing the murder of her husband, who is a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Jeddah also deployed a series of efforts to resolve cases either through diplomatic, litigation, or non-ligatory channels to free HMM from execution.

"The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah provided assistance to Sister HMM during the investigation process six times, and the trial process was 13 times," said a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted from Antara, Monday, December 2.

In addition to providing legal assistance, the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah also sought an appeal to the High Court in Jeddah and a request for cassation to the Supreme Court in Riyadh, and also regularly met with HMM in Jeddah prison.

The Indonesian Consulate General also took an approach to the victim's heirs, either directly or through the local Assessment and Reconciliation Institute, as well as with the Makkah Governor's Office for mediation requests.

"A series of efforts have succeeded in reducing the lawsuit to imprisonment and payment of diyat (fines)," said the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This year, HMM finished serving a sentence of 15 years in prison and managed to meet the demand for a diyat of 400 thousand riyals of Saudi Arabia (Rp1.69 billion) with the help of a Saudi Arabian philanthropist who was willing to pay the entire diyat.

HMM was deported to the country on November 28, 2024 and arrived at its home area in Bangkalan on November 30, 2024, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Throughout 2024, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks the release of 26 Indonesian citizens who were previously threatened with the death penalty. However, the number of Indonesian citizens involved in cases with the threat of the death penalty actually increased by 20 people.

To date, 155 Indonesian citizens who are threatened with the death penalty abroad, the majority in Malaysia, have received advocacy assistance from the Indonesian government.