CAIRO — Human-rights activists are demanding the release of Nagla Wafa, an Egyptian wedding planner and designer sentenced to 500 lashes and five years in prison in Saudi Arabia following a business dispute with a princess.
Wafa ran afoul of a royal in the Saudi kingdom over the finances of a joint business venture, according to her family. She was reportedly accused of cashing a check from the princess but not following through on their deal to start a restaurant.
“As of May of 2012, Ms. Wafa has been subjected, on a weekly basis, to 50 floggings per week within the ‘Al-Malz’ Prison. She currently faces 200 more floggings ... despite her suffering from distortions to her spine,” the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights said in an online statement.
Accusing Saudi Arabian authorities of unlawfully detaining the 39-year-old mother of teenage twins, the organization said the case was a “blatant violation” of human rights and filed a complaint with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Nashwa Ismael, Wafa’s mother, who lives in Cairo, said her daughter wasn’t accused of fraud charges until about 20 months after she was arrested in 2009. Ismael said the family wasn’t able to find a Saudi Arabian lawyer to take Wafa’s case until June, when they first went public with the issue.
“Nagla’s case should have appeared before a business court and she should have been notified of her accusations right away,“ Ismael told The Times.
Ismael added that since the family decided to go public, Saudi Arabian authorities have kept Wafa from outside contact. She was previously allowed one phone call a month.
“Last time I spoke with her was about a month ago. She was utterly devastated and tired because she lost everything, her sons, her livelihood,” Ismael said.
Egypt’s National Council for Women has also sent a letter to the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Cairo demanding Wafa’s release for “lack of conviction.” The council urged Saudi Arabian authorities to halt Wafa’s flogging sentence.
About 2 million Egyptian expatriates currently live and work in Saudi Arabia. Over the years, Egyptian human-rights activists and protesters have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabian officials of mistreating Egyptian nationals, who travel to there seeking better job opportunities.
Wafa’s mother said Egyptian officials have failed to reach out to the family to learn more about Nagla’s case.
“The Egyptian ambassador in Saudi Arabia is more worried about his prestige and salary, rather than doing his job by helping the Egyptian people residing in Saudi Arabia. These kinds of problems have affected many Egyptians abroad, not just us,” she said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wor...-arabia-following-a-business-dispute-wit.html
Wafa ran afoul of a royal in the Saudi kingdom over the finances of a joint business venture, according to her family. She was reportedly accused of cashing a check from the princess but not following through on their deal to start a restaurant.
“As of May of 2012, Ms. Wafa has been subjected, on a weekly basis, to 50 floggings per week within the ‘Al-Malz’ Prison. She currently faces 200 more floggings ... despite her suffering from distortions to her spine,” the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights said in an online statement.
Accusing Saudi Arabian authorities of unlawfully detaining the 39-year-old mother of teenage twins, the organization said the case was a “blatant violation” of human rights and filed a complaint with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Nashwa Ismael, Wafa’s mother, who lives in Cairo, said her daughter wasn’t accused of fraud charges until about 20 months after she was arrested in 2009. Ismael said the family wasn’t able to find a Saudi Arabian lawyer to take Wafa’s case until June, when they first went public with the issue.
“Nagla’s case should have appeared before a business court and she should have been notified of her accusations right away,“ Ismael told The Times.
Ismael added that since the family decided to go public, Saudi Arabian authorities have kept Wafa from outside contact. She was previously allowed one phone call a month.
“Last time I spoke with her was about a month ago. She was utterly devastated and tired because she lost everything, her sons, her livelihood,” Ismael said.
Egypt’s National Council for Women has also sent a letter to the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Cairo demanding Wafa’s release for “lack of conviction.” The council urged Saudi Arabian authorities to halt Wafa’s flogging sentence.
About 2 million Egyptian expatriates currently live and work in Saudi Arabia. Over the years, Egyptian human-rights activists and protesters have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabian officials of mistreating Egyptian nationals, who travel to there seeking better job opportunities.
Wafa’s mother said Egyptian officials have failed to reach out to the family to learn more about Nagla’s case.
“The Egyptian ambassador in Saudi Arabia is more worried about his prestige and salary, rather than doing his job by helping the Egyptian people residing in Saudi Arabia. These kinds of problems have affected many Egyptians abroad, not just us,” she said.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wor...-arabia-following-a-business-dispute-wit.html
