May 9/2007

 ON THE BEHEADING OF AN ETHIOPIAN WOMAN BY SAUDI ARABIA

SOCEPP is shocked to learn that last week the Saudi authorities beheaded, in Jeddah, Ethiopian national Khadija Bint Ibrahim Moussa. She was accused of stabbing an Egyptian man to death. Further reports reaching SOCEPP reveal that Khadija did not get a fair trial and that she is the fist woman to be beheaded this year (in 2005 two other women were also beheaded).

 Saudi Arabia is notorious for its violation of the rights of foreign nationals especially of those coming from Africa. Ethiopian women working there have been raped, beaten,mistreatred without any legal action being taken against the criminals and,thereby, pushing th victims into acts of desperationa and self defense. Time and again, the Saudis round up Ethiopians and others from the Horn and deport them without any legality. Beheading of convicts in a public square is cruel and medieval and it is more than often practiced on those coming from Africa.

 SOCEPP vigorously condemns the beheading of Khadija Moussa and demands the respect of the rights of Ethiopian nationals by the Saudi authorities. Archaic laws and cruel punihmsnts violate the rights of decent human beings and thus should be discarded.

 SOCEPP