JEDDAH, 16 March 2008 — Rakan, the six-year-old boy from Makkah who was allegedly abused by his mother, went back to his mother after a judge, giving his verdict in the custody case last Wednesday, ruled in the favor of the mother.
Sheikh Saleh Al-Twalah based the decision on a medical report indicating that there were no signs of abuse on the boy, contrary to claims put forth by the boy’s paternal uncle.
The mother received Rakan yesterday from the boy’s paternal uncle in an emotional scene, said the woman’s lawyer, Ibrahim Al-Zamazami. In his verdict, the judge also urged both parents to consider Rakan’s emotional state.
“The truth was revealed and justice was finally served,” said the boy’s mother. “I shed tears when I saw Rakan. Both of us were happy to see each other because it’s been a while since I last saw him.”
Al-Zamazami said that Rakan’s father has to sign the verdict before he would be allowed to have visitation rights. The lawyer said that he is filing a defamation suit against the newspaper that accused the mother of child abuse, rather than reporting that these were allegations. The journalist in question is also being sued directly because he too stated as fact that the mother beat Razan rather than reporting the information as allegations made by the grandfather.
Al-Zamzami said the Ministry of Culture and Information in Riyadh is reviewing the lawsuit. “The journalist ... initially published the tarnishing report with Rakan’s pictures that claimed he was beaten and burned by his mother. Al-Mansour police are handling the investigation,” he said.
“I was in a total shock at what was written in the newspapers about me abusing my only child,” said the mother.
Ghalib Al-Barakati, Rakan’s paternal grandfather, still maintains that his accusations come from Rakan himself, and claimed that Rakan did not want to go back to his mother.
“We are not upset,” he said. “All we care about is Rakan’s safety and well being.”
