JEDDAH, 3 March 2008 — A forensic report released last Monday that said there is no evidence to suggest that Rakan, the six-year-old boy from Makkah, was abused by his mother has been sent to Saleh Al-Tawalh, the judge presiding over the case, who is expected to deliver a verdict tomorrow.
Ibrahim Al-Zamzami, the lawyer defending Rakan’s mother, said charges against his client have been dismissed for lack of evidence. “There is no kind of acknowledgement or confession from the woman proving that she is guilty of abusing her child. There are also no witnesses,” he said.
Al-Zamzami said that his client’s reputation has been ruined and that he wants all involved to be punished. “We will file a lawsuit against the journalist who initially published the tarnishing report with Rakan’s pictures that claimed he was beaten and burned by his mother,” said Al-Zamzami.
The lawyer alleged that the journalist used a contact in the Ministry of Health to look through patients’ private files. “He passed it to the journalist who published a fabricated article and did not crosscheck the facts,” Al-Zamzami said. A complaint has been filed against the reporter at the governor’s office.
Police are also investigating the Ministry of Health worker and reporter.
Meanwhile, Ghalib Al-Barakati, Rakan’s paternal grandfather, said he did not accuse Rakan’s mother of abusing him. “When Rakan visited us, I saw marks on his hands and when I asked him he said that his mother had beaten him,” he said.
“My allegations were based on what Rakan told me. I am waiting for the judge’s verdict in the case. I will accept the verdict even if it is in favor of his mother. I would never deprive Rakan of his mother. He has been living with her for four years now after she separated from my son,” Al-Barakati added.
“I did what my conscience told me when Rakan told me that his mother beat him. I just want him to live a normal and happy life,” he said.
