Rizana confident

Mohammed Rasooldeen in Riyadh

Riyadh: Rizana Nafeek whose death sentence is currently reviewed in an appeal court in the Kingdom, looks confident and says Almighty Allah will protect her, a senior Sri Lankan Embassy official who visited the maid in Dawadmi jail last Saturday, told the Daily News yesterday.

Nafeek was convicted of murdering an infant while under her care, by a three-member bench in a high court in Dawadmi on June 16. She had migrated to Saudi Arabia as an under-aged girl.

An appeal was filed against the judgment on July 15, a day before the deadline set out by the court. "She was poise and calm and never showed any qualms about her death sentence," W. S. M. S. Wijesundera told the Daily News. Rizana had told the official that she is being well-looked after by the prison officials and she had learnt her Sinhalese through a jail colleague who had taught her the island's official language during her two year stay in jail.

Her colleague who taught her Sinhalese inside the bars was released last week and was repatriated to the island three days ago.

"This would have given more confidence to Rizana."

At the time of the meeting Rizana was wearing a black 'Abaya' and looked serene, the diplomat said.

Although the visitors are not expected to give food for prisoners, Wijesundera said he gave a slab of chocolate to Rizana with the permission of the chief jailor, who was present throughout the meeting with Rizana. K. B. G. Premadasa, Labour Secretary of the Sri Lankan Embassy was also present during the conversation with Rizana. Saturday's meeting was arranged by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on a request made by the mission to see Rizana, Wijesundera said.

He thanked the Saudi officials who were instrumental in making this meeting a reality. He said he would send a detailed report of this meeting to Rizana's parents through the Foreign Ministry, which will console them a great deal at this crucial period.

Speaking to the Daily News, Executive Director of Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission Basil Fernando, said he had found the balance fund of US$ 100,000 mainly from Sri Lankan philanthropists to pay for the lawyers. "We have already paid US$ 50,000 and the balance in two instalments depending on the progress of the case."

He said two third of the total legal fees were contributed by a Sri Lankan business organisation in Colombo and the balance by individual well-wishers and by a Dutch organisation formed by two Sri Lankans who were adopted by a Dutch family in the Netherlands.