Nafeek Rizana of Muttur, has been sentenced to death by the Daw Admi High Courts in Saudi Arabia on 30 May. She has been charged with strangling the 4-month-old child of the family for whom she worked as a housemaid. She is legally allowed only 30 days from the date of the court order to make her appeal. The Sri Lankan Embassy points out that she had previously pleaded guilty, but in a latter statement, she claimed that the employer had been harassing her to make a confession. The Embassy has made an appeal to the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau for funding for the case, but the funding has yet to come.
The said murder allegedly took place in February 2005 when Nafeek Rizana was only 17 years old. Sources said she had modified her age on her passport so that she could enter Saudi Arabia to work. Accordingly, she was still considered a minor by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child.
As the deadline for the appeal is imminent, the AHRC urges the Sri Lankan government to provide legal aid to Nafeek Rizana without further delay. It is the duty of the Sri Lankan government to protect its citizens who are working abroad, and the government should take special care to assist in Nafeek Rizanas case, as she was only a minor in the labor force.
The AHRC pleads for clemency for the life of Nafeek Rizana to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, especially given that she committed the alleged crime when she was 17 years old. We also kindly request that His Excellency take into account the international human rights standards, which seek to abolish the death penalty.
The AHRC also asks the President of Sri Lanka to take part in seeking clemency for Rizana by directly writing to King Abdullah and exhausting all diplomatic and legal means available to help the young woman in her dire time of need.
SAMPLE LETTER
1 (to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia):
Your Royal Highness,
This is to plead for clemency for the life of Nafeek Rizana, who has been sentenced to death by the High Court in Daw Admi.
I plead with you to grant clemency to Nafeek Rizana, a young migrant worker who was 17 years old when charged with alleged infanticide and sentenced to death by the High Court in Daw Admi.
I trust that Your Excellency will understands that as both a migrant worker and a minor, Rizana would have been at best ill-prepared for trial, lacking both legal capability and necessary funds. Therefore, we desperately plead for Your Excellency to have mercy on Rizana and pardon her from the impending death penalty.
As a believer in Your Excellencys goodness and the compassionate nature of Islam, I sincerely hope that Your Excellency will demonstrate mercy toward young Rizana and grant her clemency.
Yours sincerely,
_______________
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Royal Court, Riyadh
SAUDI ARABIA
2. HRH Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Interior
PO Box 2933
Riyadh 11134
SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: +(966) 1-403 1185
2 (to Sri Lankan authorities):
Dear __________,
SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Death sentence to young girl requires urgent intervention by the Sri Lankan government
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding a young Sri Lankan migrant worker, Nafeek Rizana, who was sentenced to the death in Saudi Arabia for allegedly committing infanticide. I am aware that at the time of the said crime, Rizana was only 17 years old. The deadline for her appeal is imminent, 30 June 2007, but she cannot afford legal aid and the Sri Lanka government has yet to provide necessary legal and financial assistance.
I am informed that Nafeek Rizana of Mutter, was charged with strangling the 4-month-old child of the family for whom she worked as a housemaid. At the time of the alleged crime, she was 17 years old, only a minor, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nevertheless, she has been sentenced to a beheading by the Daw Admi High Courts in Saudi Arabia on 30 May 2007. She was legally allowed only 30 days from the court decision date to appeal her case however it is reported that she is unable to appeal to the court due to lack of fund.
I am learned that the Sri Lankan Embassy has pointed out that she once plead guilty; however, in a latter statement she said that the employer had harassed her to make a confession and therefore, her forced confession may not be valid. Moreover, it was apparently the employer who had demanded that she receive the death sentence. Given these circumstances, there seems to be reasonable grounds for appeal. Even though the Sri Lankan Embassy has made an appeal to the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau for funding the appellate case, the funding has not come and the appeal deadline fast approaches. I believe it is the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government to come to the aid of its citizens, especially when they are abroad and thereby disadvantaged.
Most emphatically, I plead with you to hastily request the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to pardon the death sentence of Nafeek Rizana, especially given that she committed the alleged crime when she was only a child. As you well know, the death penalty cannot be reconciled with todays international human rights standards. The statement also calls for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
I urge you to intervene in a swift and sincere manner on the behalf of young Rizana. Surely, she would not have received such a harsh and inhuman sentence if she were tried in her country. I also urge you to directly contact to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and plead to exercise mercy and grant clemency to Nafeek Rizana.
Yours sincerely,
______________
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse
President
Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka
C/- Office of the President
Temple Trees
150, Galle Road
Colombo 3
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2472100 / +94 11 2446657
Email: secretary@presidentsoffice.lk
2. Mr. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Prime Minister
Temple Trees
Galle Road, Colombo 03
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 575317-8 or 370 737-8
Fax: +94 11 2 575454
3. Hon. Amarasiri Dodangoda, MP
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms
Superior Courts Complex,
Colombo 12
Tel: 94-11-2384837, 2324681, 2392932
Fax: 94-11-2325354, 2445446
4. Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama, MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mnistry of Foreign Affairs
Republic Building, Colombo 01,
Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-11-2325371 / 5
Fax: +94-11-2446091
Email: publicity@formin.gov.lk
5. Secretary
Human Rights Commission
No. 36, Kynsey Road
Colombo 8
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 694 925 / 673 806
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk
———————————————————–
3 (to relevant Embassies and other authorities):
Dear __________,
SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Death sentence to young girl requires urgent intervention by the Sri Lankan government
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding a young Sri Lankan migrant worker, Nafeek Rizana, who was sentenced to the death in Saudi Arabia for allegedly committing infanticide. At the time of the said crime, Rizana was only a child in the eyes of the United Nations. The deadline for her appeal is imminent, 30 June 2007, but she cannot afford legal aid and the Sri Lanka government has yet to provide necessary legal assistance.
I am informed that Nafeek Rizana of Muttur, was charged with strangling the 4-month-old child of the family for whom she worked as a housemaid. At the time of the alleged crime, she was 17 years old, only a minor, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nevertheless, she has been sentenced to a beheading by the Daw Admi High Courts in Saudi Arabia on 30 May 2007. She was legally allowed only 30 days from the court decision date to appeal her case however it is reported that she is unable to appeal to the court due to lack of fund.
The Sri Lankan Embassy has pointed out that she once plead guilty; however, in a latter statement she said that the employer had harassed her to make a confession and therefore, her forced confession may not be valid. Moreover, it was apparently the employer who had demanded that she receive the death sentence. Given these circumstances, there seems to be reasonable grounds for appeal. The Sri Lankan Embassy has made an appeal to the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau for funding the appellate case, but the funding has not come and the deadline fast approaches.
Most emphatically, I plead with you to hastily request the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to pardon the death sentence of Rizana Nasik, especially given that she committed the alleged crime when she was only a child. As you well know, the death penalty cannot be reconciled with todays international human rights standards. The statement also calls for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
I ask you to intervene in a swift and sincere manner on the behalf of young Rizana. Please pressure the Sri Lankan President and relevant authorities to intercede for their fellow citizen. Moreover, please request King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to exercise mercy and grant clemency to Rizana Nasik.
Yours sincerely,
—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations Room S-3800
New York NY 10017
U.S.A.
Fax: +1 212 963 4879/2155
2. Ms. Louise Arbour
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9012 / 0213
3. United Kingdom Embassy
PO Box 94351
Riyadh 11693
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: +966 1 488 0077
Fax: +966 1 488 2373
4. United States Embassy
PO Box 94309
Riyadh 11693
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: +966 1 488 3800
Fax: +966 1 488 7360
5. Japan Embassy
P.O. Box 4095
Riyadh 11491
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: +966 1 488 1100
Fax: +966 1 488 0189
6. Korean Embassy
PO Box 94399
Riyadh 11693
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: +966 1 488 2211
Fax: +966 1 488 1317
7. France Embassy
PO Box 94367
Riyadh 11693
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: +966 1 488 1255
Fax: +966 1 488 2882
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
