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Brass Monkey · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Please read the link below and, if possible, petition the King to commute the death penalty for this Sri Lankan girl -- unjustly sentenced to beheading.

http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/APROweb.nsf/pages/appeals_saudiArabia_17507

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

The person to commute the death penalty is the next-of-kin of the victim. The King doesn't enter into it.

The parents of the dead child are on holiday at present and thus not contactable by the family of the convicted girl.

Most countries used to have executions behind closed doors after public trials. In Saudi it's private trials and public executions.

The lack of a lawyer and reliance on confessions in Saudi trials has become a massive international embarrassment. At least if the trial had been public the reliability of the medical evidence would have been apparent.

Brass Monkey · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Thanks for the information, Stephen. If you could relay any extra details of this process to Amnesty International regarding this case (link provided above) it might contribute to the effectiveness of their letter-writing campaigns.

007 · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:15 pm Post subject:

In this case, and because she is from Siri Lanka, is to convince the family of the child to accept �blood money� from the family of the girl. But, the problem is, can they pay the �blood money�? Unless, the government of Siri Lanka or the King (I doubt it) interfere and pay the money.

I remember in 1996, there was a case of a British nurse convicted of murdering an Australian nurse, and the death penalty was later changed to a �blood money� to be paid to the victim's brother in which he agreed.

The King has the authority to commute death sentences and grant pardons except for capital crimes committed against individuals. In such cases, he may request the victim's next of kin to pardon the murderer--usually in return for compensation from the family or the King.

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

Actually, two nurses were convicted of murdering the Australian nurse. Upon their return to the UK they sold their stories to rival tabloid newspapers, and if my memory serves me well they blamed each other. One was subsequently imprisoned for credit card fraud. Prior to going to the KSA she worked in a care home and pinched a card belonging to one of the residents. Interestingly, part of the evidence in the Saudi murder trial was that the dead woman's credit card had been used by one of the accused. Mmm...

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Today's 'Arab News' has the story about an appeal being lodged. The Sri Lankan Ambassador has taken steps to get legal representation for this unfortunate girl.

I am not sure that intervention by Amnesty has a positive result on this or similar cases.

trapezius · Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:44 pm Post subject:

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It has been on AP, Reuters, and BBC websites...

So, it is getting international exposure.

VS

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

Good to hear that.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

The thing is big news here in Sri Lanka because the deadline for making an appeal was yesterday, the girls lawyers wanted SR50,000 in legal fees, and the Sri Lankan Embassy didn't pay (partly because some felt the legal fees should not be levied in the first place).

An organization called the Asian Human Rights Organization (which is basically a one man organization run by a Sri Lankan expat living in Hong Kong) exposed the failure to pay, and then sent it the check itself.

As the Sri Lankan government has a hundred ministers, and all of them have a minimum of two luxury cars paid for by the government, as well as the right to import another duty free, which all MPs have, the failure to pay the SR50,000 was somewhat embarrassing.