JEDDAH, 1 August 2007 — A lawyer employed by the Indonesian Embassy is calling on the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution in Riyadh to take action against a teenage Saudi, who is accused of raping an Indonesian maid and making her pregnant.
According to sources, the 25-year-old maid filed a case against a 17-year-old Saudi youth, who she claims raped her while she worked for his family. The woman is now six months’ pregnant and would like to establish the fatherhood of her unborn child before returning to her home country.
The Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution has, however, decided to close the case claiming “lack of evidence” after the youth denied the allegations.
“We’re calling for reopening the investigation... The bureau should try to confirm if or not the allegations are true. In the least, it could provide for a DNA test,” said Nasser Al-Dandani, the lawyer employed by the Indonesian Embassy.
The maid’s ordeal began when she ran away from her sponsor after being abused and sought shelter at the Office for Maid’s Affairs at the suggestion and help of a taxi driver. At the door of the shelter, she met the 17-year-old Saudi youth’s family. They convinced her to come and work for them.
After two months, the family’s oldest son raped the maid, who then ran away as soon as she got the opportunity a few weeks later. This time the maid went to the Indonesian Embassy, which helped her file a case at the Al-Naseem Police Station. The case was then transferred to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution, which called the son and held him for a few days for questioning. The 17-year-old denied the accusations and was released.
The case was then closed.
“They asked me to sign the investigation report concluding the investigation. I objected to the decision,” said Al-Dandani. “By dropping the public right, the maid’s private right through the court also gets dropped because there is no investigation, leaving her with no means of attaining justice,” explained Al-Dandani.
He added that the maid is refusing to return to Indonesia until her case is properly investigated and the father of her baby is identified. “If the son is the rapist and the father of the child, then he should be punished and be held responsible. If she is making false accusations, then she should be punished. That’s what we’re demanding,” said Al-Dandani.
