Govt. pays legal fees of maid in Saudi death row

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

The Sri Lankan Government, through the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has sent financial support to the female domestic worker facing death sentence in Saudi Arabia convicted of adultery.

She is to be stoned to death as punishment according to Saudi Arabian law."The woman has pleaded guilty and, therefore, not much can be done legally.

The Ministry of Foreign Employment filed an appeal last week with the Riyadh Court where the case is being heard," said a Ministry spokesman.

According to the Ministry, the woman, a mother of three, have been having an affair with another Sri Lankan man, employed in Saudi Arabia. The man was given 100 lashes as punishment. "The Ministry and the SLBFE are working closely with the Sri Lankan High Commission in Riyadh to have the death sentence removed," he added.