Ministry of Foreign Affairs Repatriates Indonesian Citizen Who Escaped Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia

SEAToday.com, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs repatriated an Indonesian citizen who escaped the death penalty in Saudi Arabia to his family in Jember, East Java, after being acquitted of being the main perpetrator of a murder case.

According to a statement from the ministry received by Indonesia Window here on Thursday, the Indonesian citizen with the initials SBB received advocacy from the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, which immediately coordinated with local law enforcement after receiving news of his case in September 2023.

“Within eleven months, the advocacy team attended 23 court hearings, 11 prison visits, 10 communications with the family, including two visits to SBB's family home in Jember, and three diplomatic correspondences,” according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The advocacy team formed by the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh consists of diplomats, lawyers, and translators who are tasked with conducting legal reviews and providing other legal assistance to SBB.

After a series of hearings, the first court judge acquitted her of the death penalty on March 24, 2024. The decision was upheld by the appeal court judge on May 7, 2024.

SBB was only found guilty by the court for giving inconsistent testimony during the trial. However, SBB was still allowed to return to the country. The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh and immigration authorities repatriated SBB on September 8 and handed her over to her family on September 11.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SBB was a migrant worker who entered Saudi Arabia illegally in 2022 through a broker on a visit visa under the sponsorship of a local resident to be employed as a domestic helper.

Throughout 2024 until July, 25 Indonesians in a number of countries, mostly in Malaysia, were freed from death sentences, either because they received sentence reductions or were released.

The government is currently assisting 155 other Indonesians who are still facing the death penalty.