(MENAFN- Arab News) A senior Indonesian diplomat called for 'intensified efforts and closer coordination" with Saudi officials to save the lives of domestic workers currently on death row in Saudi Arabia.

Indonesian Ambassador Abdurrahman Mohammed Fachir said here Saturday that 'there are 33 death row inmates mainly Indonesian maids currently languishing in different Saudi jails across the Kingdom as of today."

'The embassy has stepped up efforts to save the housemaids who have been handed down death penalty in the Kingdom" said Fachir while making an appeal to work in unison to resolve the cases. The envoy also contradicted reports about the large number of death row cases and said that 'there are only two critical cases out of the 33 cases."

In many cases we have challenged the lower court judgments in higher courts asked for judicial review and even made appeals in courts as well as appeals for royal clemency he added.

The number of death row inmates fluctuates periodically with new convictions royal pardon appellate decisions and sentence commutations.

Asked about the developments in the much-publicized case of Satinah binti Jumadi Ahmad the ambassador said: 'The victim's family has accepted the blood money we are waiting for the case to be closed on the Saudi government side."

Satinah 40 who worked as a housemaid was sentenced to death in 2011 after she reportedly admitted to killing her 70-year-old female employer and stealing approximately $10000.

Satinah claimed that this was an act of self-defense as her boss had tried to attack her at the time. She had been facing execution unless the victim's family received $1.8 million in financial compensation known as diya or 'blood money." Ambassador Fachir thanked the Saudi officials and the members of the victim's family who have been helping to secure the release and speedy repatriation of Satinah to Indonesia.

The embassy has been trying to help the workers with all kinds of support including legal aid said the envoy. Several female workers who were earlier granted reprieves from death sentences recently returned to Indonesia.

A report released by the Jakarta government said that the embassy as well as the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Task Force constituted by the Indonesian president have taken several initiatives to rescue workers in distress.

According to the report at least 67 Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia Malaysia China and Iran who earlier faced death penalties ultimately managed to walk free because of the efforts undertaken by the task force. In Saudi Arabia alone 37 workers managed to avoid execution during the last few years said the report adding that efforts to improve communications with the leaders of the countries where workers were employed had also helped the workers receive lighter sentences.