RIYADH, 27 August 2007 — Rizana Nafeek, the Sri Lankan maid whose death sentence is currently being reviewed in an appeal court, looks confident and says Almighty Allah will protect her, according to a senior Sri Lankan Embassy official who visited the maid in Dawadmi Jail on Saturday.
Nafeek, who had arrived in the Kingdom underage, was convicted of murdering an infant under her care by a three-member bench at a high court in Dawadmi on June 16. An appeal was filed against the judgment on July 15, a day before the deadline set out by the court.
“She was poised and calm, and never showed any qualms about her death sentence,” W.S.M.S. Wijesundera told Arab News.
Nafeek told the official that she was being well looked after by prison officials and that she learned Sinhalese (the language spoken by the majority of Sri Lankans) through a fellow inmate who taught her the island’s official language during her two-year stay in jail. The woman was released last week and was repatriated to Sri Lanka three days ago. “This has given more confidence to Nafeek,” said Wijesundera.
The diplomat said Nafeek was wearing a black abaya and looked serene. Wijesundera also said he gave chocolates to the maid with the permission of the chief jailor, who was present throughout the meeting. K.B.G. Premadasa, labor secretary of the Sri Lankan Embassy, also attended the meeting.
Wijesundera thanked Saudi officials who were instrumental in making the meeting a reality. He also added that he would send a detailed report of the meeting to Nafeek’s parents through the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, which he hoped would console them a great deal at this crucial period.
Meanwhile, Lakmawage Diyaniyo, a women’s organization linked to the Patriotic National Movement in Sri Lanka, launched a people’s petition signing campaign on Friday seeking the maid’s release. The signing of the petition was commenced near the Pettah Bodhi in the heart of Colombo and would be held for a week. The petition is to be forwarded to the Saudi Embassy in Sri Lanka.
