Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the plight of a young woman (whose parents are Pakistani) who was raped in her country of birth, Saudi Arabia, and then sentenced to one years imprisonment as punishment for the case. Following the rape, the victim (who was a minor at the time) and her sister reported the incident to the police. However, the perpetrator and his powerful family threatened the victims family into withdrawing the case, at which point the victim and her sister were then sentenced. During this time they were in shackles and handcuffs and they were treated brutally. Seven months into their imprisonment, the sisters were forcibly deported to Pakistan, where they now languish without any other family members and without any access or means to justice.
The victims parents moved to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan some 20 years ago in search of employment. They have been there ever since. The victim and her brothers and sisters were all born in Saudi Arabia and lived in the city of Madina.
Last year, a Saudi national and the son of the parents sponsor, kidnapped the victim after dragging her into his car. He then offered her a large sum of money in exchange for sex. When the victim refused and tried to resist, the perpetrator warned her of the dire consequences and then proceeded to rape her. Afterwards the perpetrator again warned the victim that should she go to the police to report this incident there would be repercussions including having her and her entire family expelled from Saudi Arabia.
The perpetrator soon came to learn that the victim had informed her sister of the rape. The perpetrator, along with his father, then threatened both sisters should they dare report the incident to the police. They also warned that as powerful people they would publicly declare that both sisters were prostitutes.
Despite the risk, the victim and her sister decided to lodge a complaint with the police in order to seek justice. However, after the victim made her statement, the police changed its contents. Furthermore, the sponsor was informed of the victims actions and therefore pressured the parents to have their daughter withdraw the case. With further threats made against her by the sponsor, including being told she would serve three to seven years imprisonment for pursuing this case, the victim approached the police and asked to withdraw her complaint. She told the police that she had left the house by herself on the day in question, that she had returned home safely and that her original statement was not true.
In response to the withdrawal of the complaint, the police then arrested the victim and her sister and they were sentenced to one year imprisonment each. During that time they were continuously shackled and handcuffed and were only freed from these at meal times and during prayer. They were also treated brutally by the jail personnel.
After having served seven months of their sentence, both sisters were given passports and forcibly deported to Pakistan. The passports were issued by the Pakistani consulate in Saudi Arabia and no effort was made on their part to protect the sisters or ensure their safety.
The victim and her sister, upon arriving in Pakistan, were taken into the care of the Ansar Burny Welfare Trust in Karachi where they remain to date. However, they wish to return to Saudi Arabia, as they have no relatives in Pakistan, their family is in Saudi Arabia and they believe that their return to their birth country is their only chance of seeking justice.
The Ansar Burny Welfare Trust has said that there are hundreds of people, particularly young women who are trafficked from South Asian countries every year, with many going on to face a life blighted by physical and often sexual abuse.
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SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ________,
SAUDI ARABIA/PAKISTAN: Victim of rape sentenced to prison then forcibly deported
I am appalled by information I have received regarding the treatment of a rape victim, who was only a minor at the time of the assault. The victim was raped in her country of birth, Saudi Arabia, jailed for one year as a result of the influence of her perpetrators family, and then forcibly deported to Pakistan, where her parents originate from.
The victims parents moved to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan some 20 years ago in search of employment. They have been there ever since. The victim and her brothers and sisters were all born in Saudi Arabia and lived in the city of Madina.
Last year, a Saudi national and the son of the parents sponsor, kidnapped the victim and raped her. Afterwards the perpetrator warned the victim that should she go to the police to report this incident there would be repercussions.
The perpetrator soon came to learn that the victim had informed her sister of the rape. The perpetrator, along with his father, then threatened both sisters and warned them not to report the incident to the police. They also warned that as powerful people they would publicly declare that both sisters were prostitutes.
Despite the risk, the victim and her sister decided to lodge a complaint with the police in order to seek justice. However, after the victim made her statement, the police changed its contents. Furthermore, the sponsor was informed of the victims actions and therefore pressured the parents to have their daughter withdraw the case. With further threats made against her by the sponsor, the victim approached the police and asked to withdraw her complaint.
In response to the withdrawal of the complaint, the police then arrested the victim and her sister and they were sentenced to one year imprisonment each. During that time they were continuously shackled and handcuffed and were only freed from these at meal times and during prayer. They were also treated brutally by the jail personnel.
After having served seven months of their sentence, both sisters were provided passports and deported to Pakistan. The passports were issued by the Pakistani consulate in Saudi Arabia and no effort was made on their part to protect the sisters or ensure their safety.
The victim and her sister, upon arriving in Pakistan, were taken into the care of the Ansar Burny Welfare Trust in Karachi where they remain to date. However, they wish to return to Saudi Arabia, as they have no relatives in Pakistan, their family is in Saudi Arabia and they believe that their return to their birth country is their only chance of seeking justice.
The treatment of the victim and her sister by the authorities in Saudi Arabi must strongly be condemned and it is for this reason that I write to you now. I call on you to ensure that justice is brought to this case and that the alleged perpetrator, his father and the police concerned are appropriately charged for their conduct. I also ask that questions be raised with the Pakistan embassy in Saudi Arabia who did nothing to help protect these girls or ensure their rights and safety.
This was a heinous crime that required immediate and appropriate intervention. Sadly, this did not occur. I therefore hope that the authorities will now see fit to intervene.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
His Excellency the King of Saudi Arabia
Royal Court
Riyadh
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: + 966 1 401 1944
Fax: + 966 1 403 1185
2. HRH Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Interior
PO Box 2933
Riyadh 11134
SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: +966 1 403 1185
3. General Pervez Musharraf
President
Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: CE@pak.gov.pk
4. Syed Sultan Shah
Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 3464
Fax: + 92 51 920 3119
5. Mr. Khurshid M. Kasuri
Foreign Minister of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9207895
Fax: 92 21 9207600
6. Admiral (Retd)Shahid Karim Ullah
Ambassador
Embassy of Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Diplomatic Quarters
P.O. Box 94007
Riyadh 11693
SAUDI ARABIA
Tel: + 966 1 4824842/4826473
Fax: + 966 1 4887953
7. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
OHCHR-UNOG
Palais Wilson, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix,
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: 41 22 917 9022
8. Mr. Jacob Egbert Doek
Chairperson
Committee on the Rights of the Child
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9022
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
