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Rizana Nafeek

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Rizana Nafeek
File:Rizana Nafeek.gif
Rizana Nafeek in her school days
Born
Rizana Nafeek

(1988-02-04)4 February 1988
Muttur, Sri Lanka
Died9 January 2013(2013-01-09) (aged 24)
Dawadmi Riyadh,Saudi Arabia
Cause of deathCapital punishment
Executed by beheading at 11.40 am (AST) on 9 January 2013
NationalitySri Lankan
Alma materImam Shafi Vidyalaya Muttur [1]
OccupationHouse maid

Rizana Nafeek (4 February 1988 – 9 January 2013) was a Sri Lankan woman who was executed by beheading in Saudi Arabia for a homicide, which Nafeek argued was unintentional. Nafeek said that an initial confession was made under duress and without linguistic assistance.[2] Sri Lanka unsuccessfully sought clemency for Nafeek.

Early life

Nafeek was born on 4 February 1988.[3][4][5][6] She grew up in a poor Muslim family in the eastern province of Sri Lanka. Her education was terminated in her early teenage years due to poverty.

Employment in Saudi Arabia

Nafeek was only 17 years old when she arrived to work in Saudi Arabia on 4 May 2005. Her passport was forged to mark the birth year as 1982, because minors were not allowed to be recruited in Sri Lanka for work abroad. She began work as a domestic helper in Dawadamissa, some 400 kilometers from Riyadh. On 22 May 2005, her employer's infant child died while in Nafeek's care. Nafeek said that she believed the baby had choked on a bottle by accident during feeding.[7][8][9][10] The baby's parents and Saudi police insisted that Nafeek was guilty of murder.[11]

Death sentence

Nafeek was imprisoned and sentenced to death on 16 June 2007. The President of Sri Lanka twice personally requested a pardon for Nafeek from the King of Saudi Arabia. Human rights activists held many demonstrations calling for her release.[12] In October 2010, according to a senior official of Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry, Charles, Prince of Wales, appealed to the Saudi King, seeking clemency for Nafeek.[13] The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission appealed for Queen Elizabeth II to intervene and plead for clemency for Nafeek on Her Majesty's diamond jubilee.[14]

Execution

Nafeek was executed by beheading on 9 January 2013, despite an appeal from the government of Sri Lanka.[15][16][17][18][19]

Reactions

The Sri Lankan Parliament observed a moment of silence soon after it received the news of the execution.[20] UNP, the main opposition party of Sri Lanka, held a special media briefing hours after the execution. In that media briefing the opposition MP Ranjan Ramanayake described the Saudi government as "dictators" and emphasized that the Saudi government never executes citizens of rich European or North American countries but only the citizens from poor Asian and African countries.[15]

The case of Rizana Nafeek has come under intense scrutiny worldwide as international law prohibits the death penalty for crimes committed before the age of 18.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Haviland, Charles (18 November 2010). "Desperate wait of condemned Sri Lanka maid's family". BBC News South Asia. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek beheaded in Saudi Arabia". BBC News Asia. 09 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Kannangara, Ananda (31 October 2010). "Rizana's life still hangs in the balance". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Rizana Nafeek needs justice". The Nation. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. ^ Bandara, Kelum (8 August 2011). "Rizana Nafeek likely to be freed and repatriated". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Death sentence on Rizana Nafeek confirmed". Asian Human Rights Commission. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  7. ^ "SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: WORLD/SRI LANKA: An appeal for continuous intervention with the Saudi Arabian authorities on Rizana Nafeek's case". Asian Human Rights Commission. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  8. ^ "SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Prayers being offered by Muslims in Sri Lanka for Rizana Nafeek, a young innocent Sri Lankan girl facing the death sentence in Saudi Arabia -- a reissue of the appeal to the Muslim world for compassionate intervention". Asian Human Rights Commission. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Continuous intervention needed for Rizana Nafeek". Ethics in Action. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  10. ^ Farook, Latheef (11 January 2013). "Sheer Saudi barbarism". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Take Action Now". Amnesty USA. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Halt execution of Rizana Nafeek". Adaderana. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Prince Charles pleads for Rizana". Sunday Times. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  14. ^ "For Diamond Jubilee, save Rizana Nafeek's life". Arilanka Mirror. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  15. ^ a b c "Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek beheaded in Saudi Arabia". BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  16. ^ Senanayake, Gandhya (9 January 2013). "Rizana Nafeek executed". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Rizana Nafeek Executed". Adederana. 9 Janaury 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Rizana Nafeek executed". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  19. ^ Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2259967/Saudi-Arabia-beheads-maid-Rizana-Nafeek-murdering-baby.html?ito=feeds-newsxml. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ "Government deplores the execution". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 9 Janaury 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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