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)