Quote:Saudi Arabia has beheaded a Sri Lankan domestic worker for killing a baby in her care in 2005 in a case that has been widely condemned by rights groups.
Quote:The maid, Rizana Nafeek, had denied killing the four-month-old boy.
Quote:Her supporters say she was only 17 at the time of the killing. They say her execution is a breach of international child rights.
The Sri Lankan government condemned the execution, which it said took place despite numerous clemency pleas.
Quote:A Sri Lankan opposition MP who campaigns for Sri Lankan workers abroad, Ranjan Ramanayake, described the Saudi government as "dictators" who would never execute Europeans or Americans, only Asians and Africans.
Ms Nafeek was convicted in 2007 of murdering four-month-old baby Naif al-Quthaibi, whom she was caring for in 2005.
She said that an initial confession was made under duress and without linguistic assistance. Supporters say that she also had no access to lawyers before her conviction.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have criticised the Saudi authorities for their handling of the case, as have campaigners in Sri Lanka, who argue that there were also serious translation problems at the time she confessed to the crime.
They argue that her reported execution breaches the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which Saudi Arabia has ratified.
"Saudi Arabia is one of just three countries that executes people for crimes they committed as children," said senior HRW women's rights researcher Nisha Varia,
"Rizana Nafeek is yet another victim of the deep flaws in Saudi Arabia's judicial system."
source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20959228
