Two maids on death row win reprieve in Saudi

Two Indonesian maids have been spared from being beheaded in Saudi Arabia, the country’s embassy in Riyadh confirmed to Arab News.

Wishnu Krisnamurthi, spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy, said one of the workers, Emi, was convicted of murdering her employer's child.

"Emi has been pardoned but it will take some time to repatriate her to Indonesia," said the spokesman, adding that fellow maid Nesi faced death after being convicted of using black magic to inflict pain on her employer. The full names of the workers have not been disclosed.

Wishnu said the process to release the maids is likely to take time because of the Ramadan and Eid holidays.

Meanwhile, Jakarta is under pressure to hold negotiations with the Kingdom to resume the recruitment of female workers after reports that Indonesia would lose about SR1.3 billion annually because of the moratorium on labor exports that became effective last week.

The Indonesian government implemented the moratorium after Ruyati Binti Satubi, a 54-year-old maid, was executed for killing her male employer in the holy city of Makkah.

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