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.