year-old girl died Thursday after an alleged torture by her father and step-mother in Khalediyah District, heavily populated by Burmese. The alleged murder was discovered when Kulthoum's father tried to fraudulently obtain a death certificate to bury her and cover up the crime. He told the authorities that he was only a friend of the family, and the father was out of town, raising police suspicions. The body was taken to the Maternity and Children's Hospital in Makkah where it was declared she died from a brain hemorrhage and severe bruising on her face and limbs. Investigators have started to make new inquiries into the death of Kulthoum's two-year-old sister, five months ago in Jeddah. The girls' mother, Laila, has moved to Taif after her divorce. Police discovered that the father had a forged Iqama under the name of Yassin. His wife was questioned and placed in a women's prison in Makkah. Kulthoum's body will be examined at King Abdul Aziz Hospital before the case is passed on to the Commission of Investigation and Prosecution (CIP). Hussein Al-Shareef, Chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Makkah, condemned the crime and called for the severest penalties for those involved. The murder of Kulthoum is the second death from domestic violence in recent months following the death of another girl, Ghusoon.
