JEDDAH, 4 February 2008 — Manal Al-Sharif says she’s on a quest for justice, not just for her murdered daughter but also for all future victims of domestic abuse by fathers and stepmothers.
According to a report in yesterday’s Al-Watan newspaper, Sharif is seeking the execution of her ex-husband and his new wife for allegedly throwing her daughter, Areej, out the window of their home.
The Civil Defense investigated the incident and reportedly found signs of abuse and evidence that, contrary to the claims of the guardians, the girl did not commit suicide.
The report claims that the father and stepmother had left the house after the girl’s plunge without even checking to see if she had survived the fall. “Areej’s story will be repeated over and over if society does not stop these terrible acts,” she said.
She also demanded that judges do more research in custody cases and do not always side with the father. While mothers are granted automatic custody of children in divorce cases, the father can intervene and take the children away at age seven.
The lawyer for the Sharif family, Ahmed Al-Maliki, said: “We have a list of the allegations against the perpetrators and have asked that they be executed. We also revealed the evidence of torture on her body through photographs.”
The lawyer also stated that the father did not allow his daughter to visit her mother after gaining custody.
