Monday, February 15, 2010

SAVE THE LIFE OF JAKATIA PAWA NOW!

Save Jakatia Pawa from Death!
Another life of an overseas Filipina is in peril. Another mother is languishing in a Kuwaiti jail, awaiting the final decision for a crime she did not commit. Once again, our urgent collective action is needed to save the life of a fellow Filipino and a fellow migrante worker

Jakatia Pawa was sentenced to death on April 13, 2008 for allegedly killing the 22-year old daughter of her employer. The death sentence was upheld by the Kuwaiti Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) on January 19, 2010. The sentence will now be submitted to Kuwait’s Head of State, the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. It is understood that the decision will be made within two to four weeks.

Jakatia Pawa, 33 years old and a mother of two children, is from Zamboanga Del Norte province in southern Philippines. Pawa left the Philippines to earn an honest living as a domestic helper in Kuwait. She has been working for the same employer for five years when the unfortunate crime happened.

The knife that was used in the crime did not have her fingerprints on it and there were no bloodstains of the victim on her dress or body that could link her to the killing. Throughout the whole investigation and judicial process, Pawa maintained that she was innocent. But our government’s failure to provide her a lawyer in the early stages of trial made an unfavorable verdict possible.

We strongly believe that this could be another case of the Philippine government’s criminal negligence. We believe that she is not the culprit but the victim of a sorry condition that forced her to work in a foreign land in order to provide a better future for her children. We also believe that she will not have ended up on death row had the Philippine government attended to her case sooner. Government must be held accountable and therefore must exhaust all measures to save her life.

She deserves nothing less than justice. All means must be exhausted so Jakatia Pawa can be reunited with her children and family.

We are appealing to the Amir of the State of Kuwait not to ratify the death sentence imposed on Jakatia Pawa. We are acknowledging that governments have the right to bring those who commit crimes to justice, but we also express our unconditional opposition to the death penalty as it ultimately violates the right to life!

SAVE JAKATIA PAWA NOW!


  • Please send your appeals to:

His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al Jaber Al Sabah
al-Diwan al-Amiri,
al-Safat, Kuwait
Fax: +965 2539 2163 or +965 2243 0559
E-mail:
amirsoffice@da.gov.kw
Salutation: Your Highness


  • Please sign petition to Save Jakatia Pawa from death penalty here!

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