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U.S. | 'I comfort death row inmates in their final moments - the execution room is like a house of horrors'

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Reverend Jeff Hood, 40, wants to help condemned inmates 'feel human again' and vows to continue his efforts to befriend murderers in spite of death threats against his family A reverend who has made it his mission to comfort death row inmates in their final days has revealed the '"moral torture" his endeavor entails. Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, 40, lives with his wife and five children in Little Rock, Arkansas. But away from his normal home life, he can suddenly find himself holding the shoulder of a murderer inside an execution chamber, moments away from the end of their life. 

Amnesty International: Save Satinah Ahmad from execution in Saudi Arabia

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Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad
Time is running out for an Indonesian woman, in Saudi Arabia, who could be executed for the murder of her employer as early as 3 April.

41-year-old Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad confessed to striking and killing her employer, Nura al-Garib, in self-defence, after the woman attempted to smash her head against a wall.

Nura al-Garib’s family has requested diya (compensation or 'blood money') of 7 million riyals (AUD$2 million) in exchange for sparing Satinah Ahmad's life.

If full payment is not received by 3 April, the execution, possibly by beheading, will be carried out.

Foreign workers suffer greatly in Saudi Arabia. Some go unpaid. Some are beaten or even raped. If arrested, they're subjected to trials conducted solely in Arabic without translation and many have no money for a lawyer or family to turn to for help.

Without the resources to protect and defend themselves, migrant workers like Satinah Ahmad are at great risk of execution if they end up in the Saudi Arabian justice system.


Source: Amnesty International, March 2014
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