SAUDI ARABIA: SRI LANKAN MAID WINS REPRIEVE FROM DEATH PENALTY

lawyers of Rizana Nafeek, a 19 year old migrant worker from Sri Lanka, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for killing a child, filed an appeal in the Saudi courts thereby granting her a reprieve.
The Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission paid the legal costs of a Saudi law firm to challenge the death sentence in court. They hope to meet with the dead infant's parents and to secure a pardon through various intermediaries, however the family is refusing to meet them. The case illustrates the difficulties that condemned migrants face, assuming they are even aware of their right to legal representation. The legal costs of the appeal were 250,000 Saudi riyals (about $66,000).
The Sri Lankan embassy eventually negotiated a $28,000 reduction. Although the appeal can now go ahead, lawyers are still waiting for Saudi officials to send them essential documents, including a copy of the final judgment. At her trial, Nafeek had no independent legal advice, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission.