Rizana Nafeek executed

Rasika Somarathna

Sri Lankan domestic worker, Rizana Nafeek, who was imprisoned at Saudi Arabia’s Dawadami Prison since 2005 on the charges of killing an infant in her care during the same year was executed yesterday, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

The SLBFE said that the Lankan mission in Riyadh had confirmed her execution. Foreign media said that Rizana had been executed around 11.40 am local time.

Rizana’s execution had been carried out despite appeals by government authorities and many national and international organizations for a pardon.

At the time of the infant’s death in 2005 Rizana was only 17 according to her birth certificate. A recruitment agency in Sri Lanka had altered the birthdate on Nafeek’s passport to present her as 23 so she could migrate for work. The High Court in Colombo, later sentenced two recruitment agents to two years imprisonment for the falsification of Nafeek’s travel documents.

On the basis of this fact many argued that Rizana’s execution verdict should be reversed as she herself was a minor at the time of the crime and that International law prohibits the death penalty for crimes committed before the age of 18.

On sending their underaged daughter to work in Saudi, family members of Rizana who hail from Muttur had told media that their eldest daughter Rizana had gone to Saudi to earn money as her family was having hardships. Yesterday, sources said that officials were considering the possibility of flying Nafeek's parents to Saudi immediately to be present during their daughters final rights.

Earlier yesterday the Human Rights Watch reported that Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry had issued instructions for Rizana Nafeek's execution.

However, the report did not suggest when it was going to take place.

Meanwhile, the SLBFE in a release pointed out that they with the help of other government arms and national and international organizations had done their utmost to save Rizana.

The SLBFE pointed out that the Foreign employment ministry, Foreign ministry, relevant embassies had carried out numerous efforts whilst obtaining support from many government, non-government and international organizations to save Rizana.

The SLBFE pointed out that President Mahinda Rajapaksa too had sent an appeal to King Abdullah recently, requesting a stay of the execution order until a settlement could be reached between the baby's family and a Saudi reconciliation committee.

They noted that however, despite all these efforts the execution had been carried out in accordance with the Sharia Law in Saudi Arabia.

SLBFE Chiairman Amal Senalankadikara whilst conveying his condolences to the family members of Nafeek also said his department will take all steps to prevent such a tragedy in future.

Nafeek had been working in Saudi Arabia for two weeks in 2005 when the four-month-old baby of the family she was working for died in her care. Nafeek who allegedly confessed to crime according to Police later retracted her confession that what she said was made under duress.

She stated that the baby died in a choking accident while drinking from a bottle.