SRI LANKA MAID'S "FORCED CONFESSION" MAY STILL BE USED IN DEATH PENALTY APPEAL: AHRC

an Asian human rights body expressed concern that an allegedly coerced confession by a Sri Lankan domestic worker sentenced to death for murder in Saudi Arabia may still be used against her in an appeal of the verdict to a higher court.
Teenager Rizana Nafeek, accused of murdering a four-month old baby while working in a Saudi Arabian home, was sentenced to death by Saudi Arabia’s Dawadani court even though she protested her innocence. The verdict was appealed to the country’s Appellate Court which began hearing her case on December 8. “While the appeal is being heard there is still reason for concern as Saudi Arabian law places high value on confessions and whether the confession is obtained through duress does not become the subject matter of a separate inquiry,” said the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in a statement.