228 Indonesian Migrant Workers Face Execution

Bangkalan, East Java (Antara) -- As many as 228 Indonesian migrant workers are currently awaiting execution in various countries for their involvement in a variety of criminal cases, an official of the Foreign Affairs Ministry said here on Wednesday. \"Of the total, 37 are in Saudi Arabia,\" Director of Citizen Protection Moh Iqbal stated after visiting the family of Siti Zaenab, who was executed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, in Bangkalan on the island of Madura, East Java. He explained that the number was originally 38 but reduced to 37 after Zaenab\'s execution. The government is still continuing with its efforts to save Indonesian workers on death row in Saudi Arabia and other countries. He added that the status of one of the 37 workers on death row in Saudi Arabia was categorized as critical because it is nearly impossible to save her as she was involved in the murder of a child. \"Her name is Karni binti Tarsim. She is from Brebes, Central Java,\" Iqbal revealed. He further noted that the charges on the 37 workers varied from causing death in a traffic accident to practicing black magic. Some were also involved in sexual affairs. \"A pardon is still possible in cases not related to murder. However, it is difficult to save a person involved in a murder, unless the family of the victim is willing to grant a pardon,\" Iqbal explained. (*) Reporting by Abd Aziz