SAUDI ARABIA: NAFEEK CASE POSTPONED AGAIN

the Dawadmi High Court in Saudi Arabia indefinitely postponed the case of Rizana Nafeek, the Sri Lankan maid sentenced to death in 2007 for death of an infant in her care. The fate of the young woman, who is fighting a death sentence, at this point depends largely on the alleged confession she made. Two witnesses who were to vouch for the character of the Tamil translator of the confession, who has since left the country, did not appear in court, which led to the postponement. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Abdullah Al-Rosaimi took up the case to hear the two witnesses to vouch for the Mustaffa Saibo’s honesty, integrity and ability to translate from Tamil. During the last hearing, which took place on Nov. 4, Nafeek’s lawyer Kateb Al-Shammari said Saibo should be questioned in court for clarifications regarding accuracy of his translation. The lawyer said the court couldn’t come to a conclusion without questioning the veracity of Saibo’s statements on which the death sentence was based. The Dawadmi High Court reviewed the case on the instructions of the Supreme Judicial Council. Nafeek was working at the Al-Otaibi household in Dawadami, when an incident led to the death of the infant on May 22, 2005. Rizana claims the baby accidentally choked and that she tried to get help; the parents claim she committed premeditated murder.