SAUDI ARABIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TAKES UP THE CASE OF RIZANA NAFEEK

RIZANA NAFEEK PASSPORT PHOTO

FROM LANKAWEB.COM:
SAUDI ARABIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TAKES UP THE CASE OF RIZANA NAFEEK GIVING NEW HOPE FOR THE GIRL
By Walter Jayawardhana
The case of Rizana Nafeek the Sri Lankan maid convicted to be beheaded for the death of an infant she was looking after while bottle feeding in Saudi Arabia has now being taken up by an independent human rights commission in Saudi Arabia .
“This gives much hope in saving the teenager since they would be in a position to end all litigation and bring forth a pardon for her from the family,” said Basil Fernando , the Executive Director of the Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission.
In other developments , the Sri Lankan Ambassador in Riyadh , A.M.J.Sadiq has had discussions on Rizana Nafeek with the Acting Minister of Interior Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Ahamed Bin Azees.
In an interview with the Sinhala service of the BBC Basil Fernando , who was also instrumental in collecting the legal fees for the girl from philanthropists to hire a Saudi Arabian lawyer to file an appeal said, as he understood the commission which is empowered to advise the king on related matters is of the opinion that the Rizana Nafeek’s death sentence was a mistake.
Basil Fernando said the Commission will also be able to negotiate this matter with the infant’s family as the prerogative power in ending all the litigation in this case rested with them.
He said under Arabic law the ultimate power to say they were pardoning the girl and thereby releasing the girl rests with the family in which the death occurred.
He said no other case in the history aroused so much interest around the globe protesting about the verdict of the court.
Fernando said one group alone , has been able to send 27,000 emails protesting about the sentence and requesting the Saudi authorities to acquit her.
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