By Asian Human Rights Commission –
According to the news received from Saudi Arabia Rizana Nafeek, who has been the Dawadami Prison since 2005 may be executed at any moment. This was revealed to the BBC Sinhala Service by Dr. Kifaya Iftekhar, who is based in Saudi Arabia and who has been looking after the interests of Rizana for several years now. Dr. Iftekhar also said that the Sri Lankan government has been informed by the Saudi authorities of the possibility of her impending execution.
demonstrator holds an image of Rizana Fathima Nafeek during a protest in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 8, 2011 Dinuka Liyanawatte / Reuters
For several months now the Sri Lankan government has been reporting that moves are underway for Rizana’s release and that this may happen at any time. However, it appears that these announcements were made only to appease the strong expressions of concern by the Sri Lankan and international community’s who are calling for her release. The government has not been able to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the family on the deceased infant that has the power to grant pardon. Such pardon is usually granted either on the payment of blood money or without such payment by the generosity of the family.
Dr. Iftekhar told the BBC Sinhala Service that there is still room for assisting Rizana Nafeek and saving her life.
The Asian Human Rights Commission has campaigned for Rizana’s release since 2007 when her case was brought to the notice of the world. A vast movement arose within Sri Lanka to demand her release and there was also massive support for her release from the human rights community and particularly from women’s movements. Many signature campaigns were conducted on her behalf and websites opened by various concerned groups to rally support for her.
The Asian Human Rights Commission once again calls upon everyone to intervene and write to the Saudi authorities urging them to grant Rizana pardon.
We once again call upon the president of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan authorities to take effective action to conduct negotiations and also to renew diplomatic efforts to save her.
For further information on Rizana’s case please see the AHRC dossier here.
Dubdoc / January 7, 2013
Saudi’s will not give a toss to Sri Lankan cries.This is a state worshiping US and UK. If some influence comes from them poor Rizana can be saved.
Is this justice the will of god?
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Janaka Fernando / January 10, 2013
If you put the snake in your pocket, it will defenitely bite you. After sending our women as slaves, we cannot blame those countries for abuse.
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AYMAN / January 8, 2013
RIZANA CAN BE PARDONED ONLY BY THE PARENTS OF THE VICTIM ACCORDING TO
THE LAW OF THE LAND. THE KING CANNOT INTERVENE. THE SHARIAH LAW IS SUCH.
THE LESS INTERFERENCE THERE IS FROM OUR GOVT. HER CHANCES`ARE BETTER.
WE ARE WITNESSING WHAT THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHILE MAHINDA AND HIS GOVERNMENT,ARE MAKING A JOKE OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE,
DO YOU EXPECT SAUDI TO GIVE AN EAR TO AN APPEAL FROM OUR MURDERERS OF
THE JUDICIARY. FIRST SHOW THAT THERE IS JUSTICE IN THIS COUNTRY.
BEFORE YOU DEMAND JUSTICE FROM OTHERS.
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Mahela / January 9, 2013
I am very sorry to see what a beautiful country that British Governed and gave us and leaving after Independence.
Ever since the Hambantota Village Gon Harak started coming to Parliament….the whole country was robbed by those VILLAGE UNEDUCATED UNCULTURED CROOK THUGS.
IT’S TIME TO KICK THESE HORA GAME HORU THAKKIDIAS OUT. THEY MESSED THE WHOLE COUNTRY, IT’S ECONOMY,INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION,HEALTH,AGRICULTURE, EMPLOYMENT, SOCIETY AND COMMUNITIES.
NOW THE GOVT. WHILE EXPORTING OUR WOMEN TO MIDDLE EAST……EXPORT MEN TO SOUTH KORREA….AND SEND BOAT PEOPLE TO AUSTRALIA.
THIS IS THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER INDEPENDENCT…AND VILLAGE GON HARAK BOORU POLITICIANS RUINED AND STOLE THE COUNTRY UPTO THE BONE.
IT’S TIME TO HANG THEM IN GALLE FACE GREEN.
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das / January 9, 2013
Barbarians and their barbaric punishments.
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Janaka Fernando / January 10, 2013
Why do so many Sri Lankan women end up in the Gulf as slaves?
The awful economic situation in the country and corruption has caused unemployment and extreme poverty among a large part of the population forcing our poor young women to seek employment in the Middle East.
Today, the economy (earnings) of our country depends mainly on this slave trade, exporting the Sri Lankan women as Nannies, House Maids and Cleaners to the Arab world, selling them for just two hundred US dollars a month, to be exploited, abused, raped and humiliated. Back home, their families are left in shambles, children go astray.
More than 12 lakhs (12,000,000) Sri Lankan women (80 % of them Sinhalese) now work in the Middle East (800,000 in Saudi Arabia alone) as house maids, cleaners and nannies, some of them working 18 hours a day for a mere salary of US$ 200 per month.
In Saudi Arabia, the most common destination, they call Sri Lanka as “the Country of Housemaids.” The Kuwaitis have gone to the extent of saying that “the Sri Lankan women are born to serve us as nannies and maids.”
If you happen to visit the major cities in the Middle East such as Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and so on, it can be noticed that in most of the public institutions such as the Airports, Hospitals, etc which are used by multi nationals from all over the world, the toilets and floors are cleaned by none other than the Sri Lankan women.
Also, if you go to the big hypermarkets or shopping malls in the gulf countries, most of the cashiers and sales girls are either Philippines, Indians or others where as the floor/toilet cleaners are, only Sri Lankan women.
15 to 20 percent of the Sri Lankan women who leave each year for the gulf return prematurely, face abuse or nonpayment of salary, or get drawn into illicit people trafficking schemes or prostitution. Hundreds of housemaids have become pregnant, often after rapes, producing children who, until Sri Lanka’s Constitution was recently amended, were stateless because their fathers were foreigners. More than 100 women come home dead each year.
This slave trade, exporting the poor Sri Lankan women to the Arab world are more lucrative and a highly profitable business for the job agents/politicians in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan foreign employment bureau also earns millions on insurance. The poor women are harassed at the airport if they had not paid the insurance fee to the government. These women are one of the top foreign exchange earners for the country but the country/government has done nothing to them.
It is very pathetic but, the Government, politicians and the so-called ‘elites’ who happily sit in luxury, do not care a damn about our poor women who are being pushed into slavery in the Middle East.
It is high time that this practice of exporting our women as slaves should be stopped. We should follow our neighboring countries like India, Bangladesh, etc who have banned this kind of slavery long time ago.
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