AHRC hopeful of reversing judgment on Rizana

The Cassation court in Riyadh has sent Rizana Nafeek 's case to the Supreme Judiciary Council , which is the final court of appeal in the Kingdom . After reviewing the case , the council is empowered to reverse the judgment or give the final signal for execution.

"Our lawyers, Khateb Al Shammary has filed further submissions to the Supreme Judiciary Council," Basil Fernando , executive director of Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission, told Daily News yesterday. He added that the organization is still hopeful that it could reverse the judgment even at the final stage at the supreme council.

On June 16 last year, Rizana was sentenced to death for killing a four-month-old infant in her care here in the urban city of Dawadmi, 270 kms from the Saudi capital .

The verdict was given by a three member-bench headed by Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Rosaimi , chief judge of the High Court in Dawadmi . On July 15, on an initiative from the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), an appeal was filed by Khateb Al-Shammary, a law firm based in Riyadh. On Dec. 6, the Cassation court in Riyadh referred the case to the Dawadmi High Court , seeking further clarifications on Rizana's confession at the police station.

The Hong King based AHRC has already paid SR 100,000 out of the total legal fees of SR150,000. Fernando said that the balance SR 50,000 will be paid to the lawyers only if there is a positive verdict in favor of Rizana.

Fernando said that a Paris-based international human rights organization is to forward an appeal to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for a royal pardon. He appealed to all those who are concerned with Rizana either to be a party for a royal pardon and persuade the father of the deceased child to save Rizana from the sword. " We like to make a humanitarian appeal to the bereaved family to pardon this maid , who was a victim of circumstances.", Fernando said.

Naif Jiziyan Khalaf Al-Otaibi, 32, who lost his baby as a result of this incident works in the Finance Ministry in Riyadh.

Rizana allegedly confessed to her crime shortly after her arrest, but she has since retracted this confession she said was a misunderstanding related to the language barrier and her duress.