RIZANA UPDATE 072307

except showing condemned girl to her parents saudi arabia has so far promised no other mercy to Rizana

I looks like some small progress has been made to save Rizana from the executioner. But until she is free of Saudi, anything can happen. I can’t figure out why there has been no notice of this travesty in the MSM (well yes I can, it wouldn‘t fit with their agenda of the Saudis being our “friends“) nor in the blogosphere. As of last week, Saudi had executed 206 people this year., almost twice as many as Iran.

Mon, 2007-07-23 17:42
By Walter Jayawardhana

Asian Tribune
Only the parents of Rizana Nazik an underage Sri Lanka girl condemned to die by an executioner’s sword in Saudi Arabia were allowed to visit the prisoner in a jail of the desert kingdom on July 22 Sunday by the Saudi Arabian government, Sri Lankan embassy sources in Saudi Arabia said.

A Sri Lanka team of Muslims led by the island nation’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila and a team including Muslim religious leader and foreign Ministry official in charge of Middle East went to Saudi Arabia to plead for the life of the Muslim girl, who is a poor wood cutter’s daughter condemned to death by three judges of a Sharia Court, constituted by Muslim canonical law. He was scheduled to meet the deputy governor of the area and met police officers and prison officers to discuss the matter. It was during these discussions with prison authorities an opportunity was obtained to meet the girl by her parents.

So far, no high Saudi government official has met the delegation, to discuss the condemned girl’s matter with the Sri Lanka delegation.
The Ambassador for Sri Lanka, Adam M.J. Sadeek told BBC’s Sinhalese service Sandeshaya before the delegation leaves next Wednesday for Sri Lanka the parents, Mr.M. S. Sulthan and Mrs. S. A. Razeena will be given another chance of meeting with the condemned prisoner .

“I can assure you that the danger on the girl’s life has passed with the filing of the appeal by the lawyers,” he further assured to the Raido station.
He said Hussein Bhaila was scheduled to meet the lawyers representing the girl and hired by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Monday.
The Sri Lankan delegation is also scheduled to meet the Imams of the Jeddah and Mecca mosques to request them to intervene in their appeal for clemency for the girl. Sri Lanka’s Jammiyathul Ulama Representative Moulavi M. B. M. Zarook will assist in the discussions with them. Rizana’s Saudi Arabian master Naif Jiziyan Khalif Al Otaibi has so far refused to show mercy on the poor girl, which is necessary to obtain a pardon for her. The delegation is expecting the good offices of the Imams will prevail upon him to achieve that purpose. Ambassador Adam M.J. Sadeek said he met the lawyers last Wednesday and they assured him that there is no danger on the life of the girl after the filing of the appeal.

Asian Human Rights Commission has said that the four months old infant of the Saudi Arabian master of Rizana has died accidentally while bottle feeding of the baby by the Sri Lanka maid due to chocking and the Saudi Police has obtained a confession under duress stating the maid murdered the infant by strangulation. The three judges Sharia Court without providing an interpreter and without asking any questions from the accused sentenced her to die in a public square after being beheaded by an executioner’s sword despite the fact that she was 17 years old at the time of the infant’s death.
- Asian Tribune -