Monday, April 4, 2011

Saudi Woman Acquitted In Trial Torturing Indonesian Maid


By MALILA Harris

SAUDI ARABIA NEWS - Indonesia has strongly condemned the acquittal of a Saudi woman trial, who was guilty of ruthlessly torturing her 23 year-old young Indonesian maid. Talking to reporters, an Indonesian diplomat in Saudi Arabia has strongly criticized the decision, saying the sentence didn’t recognize the torture and it meant all tortures were free.

Indonesian diplomat Didi Wahyudi told BBC about the original three year sentenced given to Saudi Arabian woman and considered as a landmark verdict, but the recent overturned of sentence have brought a dark side of the justice and tortures were readily accepted as a common practice.

It is reported that around thousands of Indonesian women work in Saudi Arabia as a domestic helpers and often complain about the abuse by their employers. Just a few days back two people were arrested for violent death of their Indonesian maid in Mecca.

A number of Indonesian women get employment in Saudia Arabia as domestic workers and there are large number of cases of their abuses and tortures. However, there is hardly any punishment for the tortures, some get a hefty fine and that’s all.

The recent case of Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, was hospitalized after being brutally beaten by her employer. Her bones broke down and her face was burned.

Her case captured global eyeballs, and promoted the Indonesian president to demand justice for her torture. Due to pressure her employer 53-year-old female was arrested and sentenced to three years in Jail in January by a court in the Saudi city of Medina.

She appealed against the sentence and was acquitted on Saturday after a judge deemed there was insufficient evidence.

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