|
Adultery: Case of Sri Lankan maid on death row reopens
Thassim said the plea will probably be heard in early January but the exact date has yet to be announced. The 45-year-old married woman with two children, who was working as a maid, was awarded capital punishment in August after being found guilty of having an illicit affair with a Sri Lankan bachelor. Her paramour, who was convicted alongside her, was sentenced to 100 lashes. Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva first broke the news to Parliament in Colombo on Tuesday, saying the positive development was the result of his ministry's intervention. "Based on the lawyers' advice and our intervention, a decision has been taken to reopen the case," de Silva told Sri Lankan politicians. "We see this as a victory," he said, adding that the ministry will bear the legal expenses of reopening the case and "make the fullest efforts in order to get this verdict changed." Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera met with an official from the Saudi Embassy in Colombo last week and expressed Colombo's concerns over the case. Samaraweera has also requested to speak with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir to seek clemency for the woman. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-09 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=438038 |