AL-AIN, United Arab Emirates -- Shock and anger swept the Philippines on Monday after an Islamic court in the United Arab Emirates condemned a teenage Filipina maid to death for murder in a shock retrial verdict that rejected her claim she was raped.
"If this is not the height of barbarism and a clear miscarriage of justice, we don't know what to call it," the Friends of Filipino Migrant Workers group said in a statement. "We urge our compatriots and the people of the world ... to launch protest actions, including the burning of a thousand UAE flags, to demand the freedom and immediate repatriation of Sarah Balabagan."
Sixteen-year-old Balabagan was condemned to die Saturday by a three-judge panel for stabbing her Gulf Arab employer Almas Mohammed al-Baloushi 34 times.
The maid, who was 15 at the time of the killing, was originally convicted of manslaughter in June and jailed for seven years. But the court at the same time also concluded that Baloushi had raped her and awarded her financial compensation.
Contradictory medical evidence in the retrial, however, cast doubt on Balabagan's claim that she had been raped, and the court concluded that in any case the killing was not connected.
"There is no linkage between the sexual advance and the incident [the killing]," chief judge Ahmed al-Tatwani told reporters after pronouncing the death sentence.
But he also added that the court could not be positive that Baloushi had made no sexual advance.
"One of the doctors said there was a tear to the hymen but the court concluded she is still a virgin. A laboratory concluded there was no sperm," he added.
Tatwani, asked about marks on the maid's body, said: "These marks are from fingernails. This is natural, the man was fighting death."
The dead man's age was not established in court. His son said he was 85 but Balabagan said he was in his 60s.
Executions in the UAE are usually by firing squad.
Philippine embassy officials looked on in disbelief as Balabagan was quickly escorted from the courtroom in tears.
"We will exhaust all judicial avenues. If that fails we will appeal to the [UAE] president for a pardon," said Philippines ambassador Roy Seneres, appearing shocked as he left the court.
In Manila, President Fidel Ramos called on the defense lawyers to launch an immediate appeal. Radio and television stations in Manila interrupted regular programming to announce the news of the sentence.
The ruling is likely to unleash outrage in the Philippines which has become sensitive to the plight of its four million overseas workers since Singapore hanged a maid for murder in March.
The incident aroused huge popular anger in the Philippines.
UAE President Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan al-Nahayan had ordered the retrial after intensive lobbying on her behalf by Manila and a pardon request by Ramos.
Philippines officials, who condemned the first ruling as contradictory, had hoped the retrial would lead to freedom for the slight Moslem maid from the island of Mindanao.
"If this is not the height of barbarism and a clear miscarriage of justice, we don't know what to call it," the Friends of Filipino Migrant Workers group said in a statement. "We urge our compatriots and the people of the world ... to launch protest actions, including the burning of a thousand UAE flags, to demand the freedom and immediate repatriation of Sarah Balabagan."
Sixteen-year-old Balabagan was condemned to die Saturday by a three-judge panel for stabbing her Gulf Arab employer Almas Mohammed al-Baloushi 34 times.
The maid, who was 15 at the time of the killing, was originally convicted of manslaughter in June and jailed for seven years. But the court at the same time also concluded that Baloushi had raped her and awarded her financial compensation.
Contradictory medical evidence in the retrial, however, cast doubt on Balabagan's claim that she had been raped, and the court concluded that in any case the killing was not connected.
"There is no linkage between the sexual advance and the incident [the killing]," chief judge Ahmed al-Tatwani told reporters after pronouncing the death sentence.
But he also added that the court could not be positive that Baloushi had made no sexual advance.
"One of the doctors said there was a tear to the hymen but the court concluded she is still a virgin. A laboratory concluded there was no sperm," he added.
Tatwani, asked about marks on the maid's body, said: "These marks are from fingernails. This is natural, the man was fighting death."
The dead man's age was not established in court. His son said he was 85 but Balabagan said he was in his 60s.
Executions in the UAE are usually by firing squad.
Philippine embassy officials looked on in disbelief as Balabagan was quickly escorted from the courtroom in tears.
"We will exhaust all judicial avenues. If that fails we will appeal to the [UAE] president for a pardon," said Philippines ambassador Roy Seneres, appearing shocked as he left the court.
In Manila, President Fidel Ramos called on the defense lawyers to launch an immediate appeal. Radio and television stations in Manila interrupted regular programming to announce the news of the sentence.
The ruling is likely to unleash outrage in the Philippines which has become sensitive to the plight of its four million overseas workers since Singapore hanged a maid for murder in March.
The incident aroused huge popular anger in the Philippines.
UAE President Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan al-Nahayan had ordered the retrial after intensive lobbying on her behalf by Manila and a pardon request by Ramos.
Philippines officials, who condemned the first ruling as contradictory, had hoped the retrial would lead to freedom for the slight Moslem maid from the island of Mindanao.
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