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Govt. leaves no stone unturned to save housemaid
The Government is awaiting a response to its legal appeal on behalf of the Sri Lankan housemaid who is to be stoned to death in Saudi Arabia, to decide on an appeal by the State, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Dr Harsha de Silva said yesterday.
The move came as Sri Lankan officials in Riyadh, continue to visit her, with the latest visit on Sunday (15).
Dr de Silva said though the mother of three was convicted of adultery in August this year, the arrest for the crime had taken place about two years ago.“She had not wanted the case to be disclosed to Sri Lanka,” he said.
The appeal for her release was forwarded to Saudi Arabia’s Central Appeal Court by a lawyer hired by the Foreign Employment Bureau on her behalf early last month.
The Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry was informed of the case by Sri Lankan Embassy officials in Saudi Arabia, after they were notified by officials of the Saudi Arabian government.
“As soon as we were informed of this our mission went into action to get her released. The Central Appeal Court has considered our appeal and are in the process of conveying its final decision,” Minister Dr de Silva said. He added the process to get her released will be difficult because she had confessed to her crime.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Azmi Thassim in a telephone interview with the Sunday Times said, their officials were visiting the respective authorities in Riyadh seeking their good offices to assist the maid.
“The Embassy officials are constantly monitoring the situation and visiting the detained woman,” Mr Thassim said.
“We are trying our utmost not to antagonise Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding they were strictly following the laws and regulations of the country, while doing their utmost to help the maid.
Mr. Thassim said that people who go to Saudi Arabia should get to know the laws of the country beforehand to avoid such incidents.
“If our people are not happy with these laws they must avoid going to the country,” he said. The woman had been employed in Riyadh since 2013.
Her partner, another Sri Lankan, who was also found guilty, has been given a lesser punishment of 100 lashes, as he is single.
In 2013, Saudi Arabia beheaded an underage Sri Lankan housemaid for the death of an infant left in her care.