Outrage over Saudi 'blood money' in girl's death

The Daily Star, AP, February 03, 2013

Cars drive past a housing compound in South of Riyadh December 17, 2012.
REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed

                              

RIYADH: Online activists in Saudi Arabia are calling for harsher punishments for child abuse after reports that a prominent cleric received only a light sentence after confessing to beating to death his 5-year-old daughter.

The social media campaign gaining momentum Sunday is the latest attempt to use the Internet to pressure the kingdom's ultraconservative rulers.

Saudi media reports say Fayhan al-Ghamdi, a frequent guest on Islamic TV programs, was arrested in November on charges of killing the girl. The reports said he questioned the child's virginity.

Saudi media say he was freed last week after serving a short prison term and agreeing to pay $50,000 in "blood money" to avoid a possible death sentence.

The money was presumably offered to the girl's mother or other relatives
.

The parents of Ms Nafeek had repeatedly appealed to
King Abdullah to pardon her

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