Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Jakarta received Monday a protest filed by relatives of the Indonesian workers allegedly tortured at their workplaces in Saudi Arabia to demand the four men's employers be brought to justice.
As part of their protest, supporting activists and family members condemned the tortures as a gross violation of human rights and referred to previous cases of torture in Saudi Arabia.
The protesters denounced the kingdom a killing field for Indonesian workers.
Family members said they would not forgive those involved in the alleged tortures and demanded they be put on trial.
""The Saudi Arabian royal government must investigate (all incidents) thoroughly and the employer and his relatives involved in the incident must be brought to justice,"" Migrant Care's Wahyu Susilo said while addressing a free speech forum held in front of the embassy's entrance gate.
Siti Tarwiyah of Ngawi in East Java and Susmiyati from Pati in Central Java were tortured to death in Alfaj, Saudi Arabia, on August 3. It has been alleged the men's employer, along with his relatives, was responsible for the two deaths.
Ruminih from Pandeglang in Banten and Tari from Karawang in West Java sustained serious injuries from the alleged tortures and were still receiving intensive medical treatment at a general hospital in the Saudi Arabian city.
The workers were allegedly tortured after being accused of practicing black magic on their employer's son, who later became ill.
Activist Rieke Diah Pitaloka said the violence against the four workers was a serious violation of their human rights and all those involved in the incident should be brought to justice.
She said 62 years after Indonesia's independence, Indonesian migrant workers continued to be abused abroad.
Angry relatives demanded the Saudi Arabian government send back the bodies of Siti and Susmiyati and they want Ruminih and Tari sent back to Indonesia for medical treatment.
Susmiyati's younger brother Supomo asked the Saudi Arabian authorities to repatriate his sister's body for a funeral at home and said he wanted all suspects to be punished harshly.
Ruminih's younger brother Carumi has asked the Saudi Arabian authorities to sentence those responsible to death, before providing fair compensation to the victims' families.
