Indonesia lodges protest over Saudi Arabia execution

The unexpected execution by beheading of an Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia has sparked outrage in Jakarta.

The unexpected execution by beheading of an Indonesian maid in Saudi Arabia has sparked outrage in Jakarta, which had pleaded for mercy, and stirred debate about double standards over foreign ­executions in Indonesia.

As Bali Nine ringleaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan prepare to face the firing squad on Nusakambangan off central Java, human rights groups argue that Jakarta is ignoring mercy pleas, just like Saudi ­Arabia has done.

Jakarta has lodged a protest with Riyadh for executing Siti Zaenab, who was said to be mentally ill and given the death penalty for murdering her employer in 1999.

On the 10th anniversary of their 2005 arrest, Sukumaran, who is 34 today, and Chan, 31, are expected to be executed this month after an Asia-Africa conference, which will draw inter­national attention to Indonesia, wraps up on April 24.

Their Australian lawyer Julian McMahon said the beheading was a tragedy. “It’s appalling that she would be executed after 16 years in jail. Several Indonesian presidents have tried to save her including the incumbent,” he said. “It seems almost impossible on the one hand to try and save about 200 Indonesians on death row around the world and, on the other hand, to execute people at home.”

The Jakarta Post yesterday criticised the government for executing five foreign drug convicts on January 18, and its intention to kill 10 others.

“The execution of the 47-year-old Indonesian woman is precisely what Jakarta did to six drug convicts, including five foreign nationals, in January,” the newspaper said.