diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index fda97f4..a116542 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ ubuntu-dev-tools (0.117) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * grab-merge: Show help when no arguments are provided.
   * pull-revu-source: Check for the availability of libwww-perl, and print a
     more helpful error.
+  * requestsync, grep-merges: Require a UTF-8 locale. (Closes: #613114,
+    LP: #553795)
 
  -- Stefano Rivera <stefanor@ubuntu.com>  Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:28:18 +0200
 
diff --git a/grep-merges b/grep-merges
index 02d1317..aab5605 100755
--- a/grep-merges
+++ b/grep-merges
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ import sys
 import urllib2
 import json
 
+import ubuntutools.misc
+
 def main():
+    ubuntutools.misc.require_utf8()
     if len(sys.argv) > 1:
         match = sys.argv[1]
     else:
diff --git a/requestsync b/requestsync
index 7abe22e..cdd5ba2 100755
--- a/requestsync
+++ b/requestsync
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ from debian.changelog import Version
 from ubuntutools.config import UDTConfig, ubu_email
 from ubuntutools.distro_info import UbuntuDistroInfo
 from ubuntutools.lp import udtexceptions
+import ubuntutools.misc
 from ubuntutools.requestsync.common import (edit_report, getDebianChangelog,
                                             raw_input_exit_on_ctrlc)
 
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ def main():
         parser.print_help()
         sys.exit(1)
 
+    ubuntutools.misc.require_utf8()
+
     config = UDTConfig(options.no_conf)
     if not options.lpapi:
         options.lpapi = config.get_value('USE_LPAPI', default=False,
diff --git a/ubuntutools/misc.py b/ubuntutools/misc.py
index dd581d3..55c6551 100644
--- a/ubuntutools/misc.py
+++ b/ubuntutools/misc.py
@@ -22,9 +22,11 @@
 # ##################################################################
 
 # Modules.
+import locale
 import os
 import os.path
 from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
+import sys
 
 from ubuntutools.lp.udtexceptions import PocketDoesNotExistError
 
@@ -119,3 +121,10 @@ def split_release_pocket(release):
                                           pocket)
 
     return (release, pocket)
+
+def require_utf8():
+    '''Can be called by programs that only function in UTF-8 locales'''
+    if locale.getpreferredencoding() != 'UTF-8':
+        print >> sys.stderr, ("This program only functions in a UTF-8 locale. "
+                              "Aborting.")
+        sys.exit(1)