Saudi Gazette report LONDON — The Saudi Embassy in London has issued a statement clarifying the case of Lama Al-Ghamdi, a five-year-old girl who was allegedly tortured to death by her father in the Saudi town of Hotat Bani Tamim last November. “The trial of the father of the murdered girl Lama Al-Ghamdi has not reached its final conclusion. It is still under consideration by the judiciary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the embassy said. In a statement, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Justice Fahd Bin Abdullah Al-Bakran, said a verdict to pay blood money (diyyah) had not yet been passed as reported in a section of the media. He dismissed rumors in the media suggesting a decision had been made in the case. Al-Bakran confirmed that the judiciary was still examining the case and no sentence whatsoever has been passed. He said a verdict would be reached after hearing evidence from all parties. The spokesman said the defense lawyer had requested a copy of the charges so that he could respond to them at the next hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday, while the defendant was still in prison. The spokesman emphasized in his statement that media should avoid spreading rumors or commenting on matters still being considered by the judiciary, except with the permission of the judge in charge of the case. The embassy said the judiciary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is wholly independent. “Saudi Arabia follows Shariah, the Islamic law. There are five areas the Shariah considers paramount and their protection is absolute. “One of these is the sanctity of human life. In this connection, murder is among the gravest of crimes because it is an aggression against human life, which the Shariah absolutely protects. “When a person is tried by a court of law and found guilty of murdering an innocent person, the convicted criminal is sentenced to death unless the heirs of the victim accept compensation and pardon the murderer. This is the private right of the family of the victim. “Under the law there are two sets of rights: the private right of the family of the victim and the public right of the State. Even if the family of the victim exercises its right to accept compensation in lieu of the murderer's life, the State still has a duty to punish a convicted murderer with a term of imprisonment. “As such, if the family exercises its right to accept compensation, the convicted murderer will still face imprisonment as determined by a court of law.”
