No last rites here
Bodies of executed Lankans unlikely to be
repatriated:
The bodies of the three Sri Lankans executed by the Saudi Government
on charges of murder and robbery last week is unlikely to be repatriated
for last rites here.
A Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said, a relative of one of
the executed men contacted the Consular Division of the Foreign
Ministry, seeking information, but added that there has not been any
request to repatriate the bodies. The men were found guilty over the
death of Saudi national, Omar Yeslam Saeed, who was murdered and then
robbed in Jeddah on 11 May 2007. Six Sri Lanka nationals and two foreign
nationals were arrested in this connection.
Later, three Sri Lankans were deported after serving their prison
sentence and public lashing. A Foreign Ministry media release
stated:"Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Consulate General in Jeddah
continued to render necessary consular assistance to the three convicted
Sri Lankans. Assistance was also provided in connection with their
appeals to the Saudi judicial authorities.
However, the death sentences remained unchanged."
According to AFP, the three deaths bring to 120 the total number of
executions this year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, compared with 87
for the whole of 2014. Saudi Arabia is governed by strict Islamic Sharia
law and is considered one of the world's most prolific executioners,
along with China, Iran, Iraq and the United States, observes Amnesty
International.
(MF) |