Time To Pray And Pray: Indonesian Citizen Who Kills Executed Dead In Jeddah, President Twice Letters To King Of Saudi Arabia

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Joe Gratz)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabian authorities carry out the death penalty for two Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were sentenced to death for the murder of fellow Indonesian citizens.

The execution of the death penalty took place this morning Saudi Arabia time. Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, explained that the two Indonesian citizens were named Agus Ahmad Arwas alias Iwan Irawan Empud Arwas and Nawali Hasan Ihsan alias Ato Suparto bin Data.

"Information about the planned execution of AA and NH was received by the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah the day before through lawyers for the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah. They had time to pray and pray before the execution," said Judha in a virtual press statement Thursday, March 17.

He further explained that the death penalty for the two of them began with the arrests of AA, NH and Siti Komariah (SK) by the Jeddah Police on charges of murdering an Indonesian citizen named Fatmah alias Wartinah on June 2, 2011 ago.

Fatmah was found dead with her hands tied and her mouth plastered. There were signs of physical and sexual abuse. Furthermore, AA, NH and SK underwent a trial process on charges of premeditated murder.

"AA and NH admitted that they had committed the murder on the grounds of revenge for the abuse the victim had done to NH's ex-wife," said Judha.

After going through a series of trials, based on a legal decision dated June 16, 2013, AA and NH received a death sentence in the first instance trial.

On March 19, 2018, AA and NH were again sentenced to death at the appeal hearing. The status of the verdict was declared legally binding on October 19, 2018.

"In the case of AA and NH, the death penalty is stronger because of the confessions from both of them. Law in Saudi Arabia places the defendant's confession as strong evidence, in addition to other evidence and witnesses," said Judha.

"While SK was sentenced to 8 years in prison and 800 lashes," added Judha.

Judha explained, from the beginning of the arrest until the trial, the Indonesian government through the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah and the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh had taken various assistance steps, both litigation efforts at various levels of the trial, as well as non-litigation efforts to ensure the fulfillment of all the rights of the accused and to ease sentences.

"Legal and consular steps include assisting the investigative process in the police, assisting the trial, appointing a lawyer, direct investigation to the relevant legal apparatus, submitting an appeal memorandum, to submitting a review," said Judha.

Meanwhile diplomatically, apart from sending diplomatic notes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, the Indonesian Ambassador in Riyadh and the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah wrote letters to the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Justice and the Crown Prince.

Then, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs also wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on February 11. It did not stop there, the President of the Republic of Indonesia also wrote two letters to the King of Saudi Arabia, namely in July 2011 and March 2019.

"Until the last moment before the execution, all communication lines at high levels were carried out, in order to get leniency. All efforts that could be made by the government had been carried out optimally," said Judha.

From a search conducted by the government regarding the data of the victim of an Indonesian citizen named Fatimah alias Wartinah and her family in Indonesia. However, so far this data has not been found.

Immigration data and the victim's fingerprints were also not found in the Saudi Arabian immigration database. The victim is thought to have arrived in Saudi Arabia before 2006 or before the introduction of biometric data records in Saudi Arabia.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has on various occasions also carried out family engagements with the families of AA and NH. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also conveyed information on this execution directly to the families of AA and NH. Communication facilitation is also provided to families, either with Indonesian Representatives or their families, " said Judah.

"After the execution, the Indonesian Ambassador in Riyadh and the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah accompanied the process of remembrance of the bodies and the funeral of AA and NH in Jeddah. According to local law, the bodies must be buried in Saudi Arabia immediately," concluded Judha.