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SRI LANKA FOREIGN MINISTRY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT GETTING THE RELEASE OF RIZANA FROM SAUDI ARABIABy Walter JayawardhanaThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the Saudi
lawyers representing Rizan Nafeek, the Sri Lankan teenaged maid sentenced
to be beheaded allegedly for the accidental death of an infant in her
care, have confirmed that they are confident in securing her release
on legal grounds. In addition to the legal grounds , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
said, The Dawadmi Acting Governor and the Tribal Leader of Othaibi
clan have assured that they will talk to the members of their clan and
the family members of the sponsor Mr. Naif Jhisyan Al Otaibi and convince
them to grant pardon, once the formal clearance is granted by the Saudi
Foreign Ministry, for their involvement. Speaking on an optimistic note to the main Saudi newspaper the Arab
News in Riyadh the main lawyer appearing for Rizana said there was no
need of the intervention of the human rights organizations at this stage
since the appeal was in an initial stage. The Arab News quoting the lawyer said, We are currently preparing
a detailed objection to file at court with all the details related to
the case, the lawyer, Kateb Al-Shammari, told Arab News. It is obvious that unscrupulous foreign employment firms in Sri
Lanka have forged her birth date to get her in the country, Al-Shammari
said. The lawyer also claims that the confession obtained by police after
Nafeek was detained should be tossed out because it was obtained without
Nafeeks ability to fully understand what was going on during the
interrogation. She clearly denied any wrongdoing in court, he said. She
mentioned that she was not totally aware of what she has been accused
of due to the lack of a translator. The attorney said the court trials were still in its initial stage
and there was no need for the intervention of human rights organizations. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry release further said, The delegation
led by the Deputy Minister (Hussein Bailah) met the Acting Governor
of Dawadmi, Chief of Police of Dawadmi, Chief of Investigation Unit
of Dawadmi Police, and the Area Chief of the Othaibi clan and discussed
with them on the current status of the case and sought their assistance
to obtain pardon for Ms. Rizana Nafeek from the victims parents.
Dawadmi is the place where the tragic death of the infant occurred
and where the police took a confession under duress from the accused
on which she was sentenced to be beheaded. Othaibi tribe is the clan
to which the father of the dead infant belongs. Usually under Saudi
law pardons are obtained by paying blood money to the victims family.
The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry did not mention anything about blood
money and if the court releases her on legal grounds blood money would
not be necessary. The Sri Lanka foreign Ministry went into details to describe the higher
officials of the Saudi Arabian government whom the Sri Lankan Deputy
Minister met : The Deputy Minister also met the Vice Minister
for Consular Affairs of the Saudi Foreign Ministry Mohammed Abdul Rahman
Salloum and handed over the formal request from the Government of Sri
Lanka to the Saudi Government and a personal letter addressed to Prince
Saud Al Faizal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia from Foreign
Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, requesting pardon for Ms. Rizana Nafeek
and for their intervention in seeking pardon from the parents of the
deceased infant. The meeting was attended by the senior Saudi Foreign Ministry officials,
Mr. Musthafa Kauzer, Director General of Asia Department and Mr. Saleh
Al Sarhan, Director General of Legal Department of the Saudi Foreign
Ministry. The Saudi Assistant Minister assured that he will bring it
to the notice of the Saudi Foreign Minister and to the Governorate of
Riyadh and provide all assistance in this regard. In addition, a personal request was made by Deputy Minister Hussein
A. Bhaila to the Governor of Riyadh, Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, who
has already accepted the invitation extended by Hon. Minister of Foreign
Affairs to visit Sri Lanka, to seek his intervention, through the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia. The Deputy Minister and the delegation also met Islamic Scholars and
academics including Secretary-General of World Muslim League, Deputy
Minister of Hajj & Umra Affairs, and Chairman of the Saudi Fund
for Development. The delegation also met Mr. Saad Al Baddah, Chairman
of Saudi National Recruitment Committee and Mr. Waleen Suwaidan, former
Chairman of the Saudi National Recruitment Committee and discussed with
them on the issue. The Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry release further said, The Deputy
Minister arranged for the parents of Ms. Rizana Nafeek to visit her
at Dawadmi Prison twice during their stay in Riyadh and has arranged
for regular consular visits to see her.The Ministry will continuously
monitor the developments and keep in contact with authorities and individuals
in this regard. The process of granting pardon on humanitarian appeal
and the legal proceedings would take a longer period according to the
Saudi legal system. The Ministry would continue its efforts on the matter,
until it is resolved. |
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