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Rizana Nafeek

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Rizana Nafeek
Nafeek as she appears in her passport
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 (Sinhala: රිසානා නෆීක්; 4 February 1988 – 9 January 2013) was a Sri Lankan woman convicted and subsequently executed in Saudi Arabia for the murder of four-month-old Naif al-Quthaibi. It is alleged that in order to get work in Saudi Arabia the date of birth was altered on Nafeek passport when in reality she was under 18 when the offence took place. The initial confession made by Nafeek was claimed to have been made under duress and without linguistic assistance.[2]

Employment in Saudi Arabia

Nafeek was 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 was accused of smothering the four-month-old boy following an argument with his mother.[3] Nafeek said that she believed the baby had choked on a bottle by accident during feeding.[4][5][6][7] The baby's parents and Saudi police insisted that Nafeek was guilty of murder.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission appealed to Queen Elizabeth II to intervene and plead for clemency for Nafeek on Her Majesty's diamond jubilee.[11]

Execution

Nafeek was executed by beheading on 9 January 2013, despite an appeal from the government of Sri Lanka.[12][13][14][15][16]

Reactions

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Parliament observed a moment of silence soon after it received the news of the execution.[17] 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.[12]

The United Nations

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, United Nations independent experts and the world body’s human rights office voiced their dismay over the execution of Nafeek. Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in Geneva, "We are deeply troubled by reports of irregularities in her detention and trial, including that no lawyer was present to assist her in key stages of her interrogation and trial, that language interpretation was poor, and Ms. Nafeek’s contention that she was physically assaulted and forced to sign a confession under duress". The Special Rapporteur on torture, Juan Méndez, noted that during the appeal of the case, the defence submitted that Nafeek was beaten and made to sign a confession under duress. "Her execution is clearly contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture," he said.[18]

The European Union

The European Union expressed dismay that Saudi Arabia had beheaded Nafeek despite repeated appeals for a stay of execution. Human rights groups said Nafeek was 17 at the time of the offense and that Saudi Arabia was one of just three countries in the world to impose the death penalty for crimes committed as a minor.[19]

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. ^ McElroy, Damien (9 January 2013). "Saudi Arabia defies international protests with beheading of Sri Lankan maid". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Continuous intervention needed for Rizana Nafeek". Ethics in Action. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  7. ^ Farook, Latheef (11 January 2013). "Sheer Saudi barbarism". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Take Action Now". Amnesty USA. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Halt execution of Rizana Nafeek". Adaderana. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Prince Charles pleads for Rizana". Sunday Times. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  11. ^ "For Diamond Jubilee, save Rizana Nafeek's life". Arilanka Mirror. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek beheaded in Saudi Arabia". BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  13. ^ Senanayake, Gandhya (9 January 2013). "Rizana Nafeek executed". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Rizana Nafeek Executed". Adederana. 9 Janaury 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Rizana Nafeek executed". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ "Government deplores the execution". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 9 Janaury 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "UN voices 'deep dismay' over execution of Rizana Nafeek". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)(Source: UN News Centre). 12 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  19. ^ "EU expresses shock over execution". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 10 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.

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