Protests against execution of Indonesian man in Saudi Arabia

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Jakarta on Tuesday to protest the execution of an Indonesian man, who had been sentenced to death in 2008.

Muhammad Zaini Misrin, who worked as a driver for Saudi Arabia's Abdullah bin Umar Muhammad Al Sindy, was arrested in 2004 for killing his employer and sentenced to death in November 2008.

He was executed on Sunday and Jakarta was informed about it only after the execution was over, Efe news reported.

The demonstrators alleged that the Saudi Arabian authorities had forced Misrin to confess and accused them of not giving him a fair hearing.

Since 2015, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian consulate in Saudi Arabia had on several occasions sought clemency for Misrin as well as a judicial revision of the case.

Indonesian civil society groups, who had organised Tuesday's protest, also urged the government to use diplomatic channels to free hundreds of Indonesians facing capital punishment around the world and also impose a moratorium on the death penalty in Indonesia.

"The fact that Indonesia applies the death penalty will only make it more difficult for our diplomats to negotiate and defend Indonesian emigrants," non-profit LBH Masyarakat's head Ricky Gunawan said.

Indonesia imposes the death penalty for crimes related to drug trafficking, murder and terrorism.

--IANS

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