RIYADH, 24 September 2007 — Lawyers for Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan domestic helper who was charged by a court in Dawadmi with the murder of a four-month-old child, met tribal leaders in Dawadmi over the weekend in order to negotiate with the members of the victim’s family.
The lawyers explained Rizana’s situation to the leaders and told them why she should be pardoned on humanitarian grounds.
The legal firm, Khateb Al-Shammary, filed an appeal against the judgment made of Rizana who was sentenced to death on June 16. Her case is currently being reviewed by a higher court of appeal.
“The lawyers meeting with the tribal leaders is an example of our efforts to save Rizana, either through legal channels or on humanitarian grounds,” W.S.M.S. Wijesundera, charge d’affaires at the Sri Lankan Embassy, said yesterday.
The diplomat said that the lawyers had told him that the whole case was being reviewed by the judiciary, which will set a date for the appeal case.
The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) paid the legal fees of SR150,000 necessary for filing an appeal against the sentence.
The money was collected by the commission from Sri Lankans working abroad. The Colombo-based Ceylinco Group also contributed substantially to the legal fees.
