Ismira Lutfia – More than 200 Indonesian citizens are currently facing the death penalty or other heavy sentences overseas, government officials said on Thursday.

They are sitting in jails across Asia, from Malaysia to Iran. According to a count by the government-sanctioned task force on migrant worker protection, better known as Satgas TKI, 149 Indonesian citizens are facing serious sentences in Malaysia, while 37 migrants face similar threats in Saudi Arabia. Fourteen others are sitting on death row in China, and one each in Brunei, Singapore and Iran.

The most serious cases lie in Saudi Arabia, where three migrant workers – Tuti Tursilawati, Siti Zaenab and Satina – are each facing "a critical situation," task force spokesman Humphrey Djemat said in the statement.

One of those workers, a woman named Tuti from the West Java town of Majalengka, was sentenced to death after killing her employer during a struggle where he was allegedly trying to rape her, Humphrey said.

The task force, with the help of former Indonesian president BJ Habibie, have made appeals for clemency. Tuti's case is currently under review.

"The review is expected to last three months," Humphrey said. "In the meantime, Satgas TKI and the Embassy of Indonesia in Riyadh are trying to make a peaceful settlement with the victim's family."

Under Saudi law, a convict can be released from death row if they are pardoned by the victim's family.

Satgas TKI claims to have helped 49 Indonesians escape death row in the six months since the task force was formed. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has extended the task force's term for another six months. (JG/BeritaSatu)