Filipino Moslems urge UAE to free condemned maid
Filipino Moslems urge UAE to free condemned maid
MANILA (Reuter): More than 1,000 Moslems in the Philippines lodged a petition yesterday with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy in Manila urging the release of condemned Filipina maid Sarah Balabagan.
Pendatun Disimban, spokesman of the newly formed group called United Muslims for Sarah Balabagan's Freedom, told reporters the maid should be freed because she only sought to defend her honor.
Balabagan, whom Manila claims is 16 but who the UAE says is 27, was sentenced to death by a UAE court earlier this month for stabbing to death her Arab employer whom she accused of raping her. The court rejected her plea of self-defense.
"In purity of her human spirit, she was obliged to defend herself at the time the crime was committed against her will," Disimban said.
He said their group would hold daily prayer vigils in front of a Mosque and before the Emirates' embassy in Manila ahead of the first hearing on the appeal filed by Balabagan's lawyers against her death sentence.
The petition appealing for the maid's freedom was handed over to a UAE envoy and then a short rally was held by the group in front of the Emirates' embassy.
The first hearing on Balabagan's appeal has been moved up to Oct. 9 from Oct. 30 so a decision can be reached quickly on the case, a senior Emirates' judge said on Thursday.
Balabagan's chief lawyer, Mohammed al-Amin, has predicted the appeal process would last no longer than two months.
The case has provoked outrage among Filipinos, still angry over the hanging by Singapore of Filipina maid Flor Contemplacion for double murder on March 17.
Newspaper and magazine editorials in the UAE have criticized the uproar which erupted in the Philippines over the verdict and a UAE official said pressure from Manila could hamper Balabagan's efforts to win leniency.
Balabagan's parents are due to fly to the UAE with a joint affidavit from residents of her hometown to show she was born on March 3, 1979 to prove she is only 16. Her lawyer said her age would be a crucial factor in her bid to win her freedom.
The UAE says she is 27 based on documents Philippines officials say were forged by Manila racketeers.
UAE President Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan al-Nahayan ordered a retrial after the same Al-Ain court convicted her in June for manslaughter and gave her a seven-year jail sentence. It also concluded she had been raped and awarded her financial compensation.
The UAE Federal Supreme Court must endorse a death sentence and Sheikh Zaid must approve any execution.