Death-row maid: Indonesia asks family for pardon

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent a letter to the family of a Saudi employer who was murdered by his Indonesian maid asking for pardon.
“The letter will be handed over to the family by the lawyer hired by the Indonesian Embassy to extend legal aid to Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad,” said Indonesian Ambassador Abdulrahman Mohammad Fachir on Sunday.
Fachir thanked members of the victim’s family for their support, while admitting, nevertheless, that the case has still not been resolved.
“Blood money totaling SR7 million has been deposited with the court in Buraidah for the legal heirs of the victim once they offer the maid clemency,” he said.
Forty-one-year-old Satinah was sentenced to death in 2010 after confessing to killing her employer, Nura Al-Gharib, and stealing SR37,970.
“Jakarta had approached top officials to persuade the family for pardon,” said Fachir. “We are doing our utmost to free her through diplomatic negotiations and by offering compensation.”
President Yudhoyono has been personally following up on the case, he said. Yudhoyono and several ministers recently held a Cabinet meeting to discuss the fate of Indonesian migrant workers abroad, including Satinah.
In the meeting, the president discussed the “diya” (compensation) given to the victim’s family.
The victim’s family had agreed on SR7 million in blood money after the Indonesian government managed to negotiate the payment down from the original sum of SR10 million requested by the Al-Gharib family in 2011.
The deadline for execution has been extended thrice since 2011 thanks to negotiations.