JEDDAH, 6 February 2008 — The investigating officers in the case of Areej, a nine-year-old girl who was reportedly tortured to death by her father and stepmother last year, took the couple to the scene of the crime to re-enact the events that comprised the final moments of the girl’s life.
Al-Madinah newspaper reported yesterday that the couple confessed to throwing Areej from an upper-floor window of their home. But it was suspected that the girl was already dead at the time and the couple were trying to cover up for having allegedly tortured her to death by claiming she committed suicide. Other reports said that after Areej fell, the father and stepmother left the home for some time before returning and reporting the fall as a suicide.
The Jeddah General Court is preparing to hear the case in which the mother of the girl is asking for the death penalty. Ahmed Al-Maliki, the prosecutor in the case, has said he would seek capital punishment for the couple.
According to the police reports, the father and his second wife tortured Areej by hitting her repeatedly and burning her with heated spoons.
A police investigation found signs of torture on the body and after interrogation the couple reportedly admitted that they tried to hide the cause of death.
Police say they have evidence, including hoses, a heavy stick and spoons that appear to have been heated over fire.
Domestic abuse related to divorced couples, often involving the stepmother and the biological father, are reported regularly in the Saudi media. The mother often wins custody of young children in divorce, but the father can take custody at age seven.
A father and stepmother, both Saudis, were publicly beheaded on Jan. 16 in Makkah for the torture and murder of nine-year-old Ghosun, the man’s daughter from a pervious marriage. Some members of the public have called for strict measures in order to send a warning to parents who abuse and murder their children.
