DUBAI: An Indonesian woman on death row in Saudi Arabia for killing her employer is getting some assistance from Saudi Price Alwaleed bin Talal, who promised former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie that he would assist in efforts to save the woman from being executed. The prince's pledge came on Saturday in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) chief Jumhur Hidayat said in a statement on Monday. The former president had flown to the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom in order to lobby for Tuti Tursilawati's execution to be stayed. Saudi Arabia has executed over 75 people this year, mainly by beheading. “The mission of former President B.J. Habibie to help save Tuti obtained a positive response from Prince Alwaleed,” Jumhur said. Alwaleed, an influential businessman and a nephew of King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, is believed to have significant influence on the royal family. Jumhur said he was told of the prince's response by the spokesman for the government-formed task force on Indonesian migrant workers sentenced to death overseas, Humphrey Djemat, who accompanied Habibie in the meeting with Alwaleed. “Although it was said that basically it is rare for a death [row] convict to obtain a pardon, Prince Alwaleed was prepared to work to get a pardon and he would start by checking on the details of the case,” Jumhur said. Tuti, a migrant worker from Majalengka, West Java, was sentenced to death for the murder last year of her employer, Suud Malhaq Al Utaibi, whom she claims sexually abused her, which according to local advocacy groups is not uncommon. After killing the man, Tuti fled with 31,500 riyal ($8,400) and his wristwatch. She is currently being held at a jail in the Saudia Arabian city of Thaif. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/AfP1i Tags: Alwaleed Bin Talal, Death Row, Execution, Indonesia, Maid Section: Latest News, Saudi Arabia, Women
