A Jeddah court sentenced a man to death for torturing and killing his 9-year-old daughter. His wife, the girl's stepmother, was sentenced to five years in jail and 100 lashes for torturing the girl. The case of the girl, Areej, had shocked Saudi society last year when doctors found signs of savage torture on the child who was brought dead to a Jeddah hospital. The couple had claimed that Areej committed suicide by leaping from an upper floor of her home. A three-judge panel at Jeddah General Court passed the verdict after the father, in his confession, indicted his second wife who he said would incite him to beat up Areej and would torture her and burn her with a hot iron in his absence. The lawyer of Areej's mother said that the vedict against the stepmother, the man's second wife, was lenient and that they would appeal and seek the death sentence. The prosecutor general sought the death penalty for Areej's father citing inhumane torture and also arguing that it would deter other parents who are cruel to their children. – Okaz/ SG __
