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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Indonesia attempts to secure reprieve for Tuti Tursilawati

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Tuti Tursilawati, 27, is an Indonesian migrant on death row. Her story is like many others: left to wander the parameters of Saudi Arabia’s discriminatory judicial system with sporadic aid from her own government, she agonizingly awaits to hear her fate: last-minute amnesty or execution via decapitation. Tuti faces execution for murdering her employer during an alleged rape incident. Reports revealed that the employer had abused her sexually since 2009, but Tuti fought back when he attempted to rape her in March 2010, striking him with a fatal blow.

Efforts to release migrants from the death penalty generally follow the same pattern: the migrant’s government appeals to the victim’s family for forgiveness, which often involves a “blood money” payment. Saudi government policy is to stay executions only if the conditions of forgiveness are met. In keeping with the pattern, former Indonesian president BJ Habibie landed in Riyadh Saturday to negotiate with the victim’s family, as well as the Saudi government, for Tuti’s life. Prior to Habibie’s efforts, the current President sent a letter to the regime in October, pleading for her release. 

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Source: Migrant Rights, December 2011


Saudi Prince Pledges Help for Death Row Migrant Worker

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has given his promise to former President B.J. Habibie that he will assist in efforts to save an Indonesian migrant worker on death row for allegedly killing her employer.

The pledge was made during a meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, the head of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Jumhur Hidayat, said on Monday.

Habibie flew to the Saudi Arabian capital to lobby for a stay of Tuti Tursilawati’s execution.

“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.

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Source: Jakarta Globe, December 26, 2011

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Tuti Tursilawati, aged 27, was sentenced to death for the murder of her employer. She reportedly arrived in Saudi Arabia on 5 September 2009 to work for a man in the city of Ta'if, in the western province of Mecca. According ...
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