Sands of Time: Remembering Rizana Nafeek
On 14 November 2025, NewsWire reported the death of a young Sri Lankan who had travelled to Israel for construction work and was fatally stabbed after an alcohol-related clash the previous night. Another Sri Lankan died on 20 November after being hospitalized with a heart condition. These events emerged at a time when Israel faces unfounded accusations of genocide in Gaza, while several groups in Sri Lanka protest sending workers to Israel. Activists sympathetic to Hamas swiftly blamed Israel for the deaths and demanded an end to labour migration to Israel, despite investigations confirming that a Sudanese national committed the stabbing. This atmosphere brought back memories of Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan domestic worker executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of a crime she did not commit. Her case sparked significant public outcry, yet the outrage faded soon after her execution, even though Sri Lanka continues to send women to the Gulf as housemaids.
A brief profile of Rizana Nafeek
Rizana Nafeek was born on 4th February 1988 in Muttur, Sri Lanka. She was the eldest child in her family and carried the responsibility of supporting her parents and helping fund her siblings’ education. Seeking better opportunities, Rizana decided to work overseas, hoping to ease her family’s financial struggles. When she left Sri Lanka, she was only 17 years old, but her passport was fraudulently altered by dishonest foreign employment agents to show her age as 23. This manipulation allowed her to travel and work abroad legally, though it placed her in vulnerable situations due to her actual youth. Beyond these basic facts, little is publicly known about her early life, dreams, or personality. What stands out is her selflessness and determination to support her family, qualities that ultimately defined her short, tragic journey. Her story serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by young migrant workers in Gulf nations.
Accusations of Killing an Infant
After arriving in Saudi Arabia, Rizana Nafeek worked as a domestic helper in Dawadmi, around 400 kilometres from Riyadh. On 22 May 2005, her employer’s four-month-old son, Naif al-Quthaibi, died while under her care. Authorities accused Rizana of murdering the infant by smothering him following a disagreement with his mother. Rizana maintained that the baby had accidentally choked on a bottle during feeding and that she never intended harm. Despite her explanation, the child’s parents and Saudi police insisted on her guilt, leading to her arrest and eventual conviction. This incident marked the beginning of a tragic and controversial legal battle.
The madam came home at about 1.30 p.m. and after having seen the infant, she assaulted me with slippers and hands and took the infant away. Blood oozed from my nose. Thereafter police came and took me into their custody. I was assaulted at the police station too. They assaulted me with belt and coerced me for a statement stating that I had strangled the infant. They intimidated me that I would have been killed in the event I was adamant not to give a statement to the effect that I strangled the infant and electrocuted, I would be killed.
Rizana Nafeek
It later emerged that the Dawadmi police did not conduct a postmortem examination on the deceased infant, leaving the exact cause of death uncertain. This omission meant that crucial forensic evidence was never collected, undermining the reliability of claims regarding how the baby died. Without a proper medical investigation, questions remained about whether the death resulted from an accident, natural causes, or foul play. The lack of a postmortem significantly weakened the foundation for determining responsibility and contributed to controversy surrounding the case, raising serious concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the legal proceedings against Rizana Nafeek.
Death Penalty and Execution
Rizana Nafeek was imprisoned and sentenced to death on 16 June 2007. The President of Sri Lanka personally appealed twice to the King of Saudi Arabia for her pardon, while human rights activists staged numerous demonstrations calling for her release. In October 2010, Charles, Prince of Wales, also sought clemency from the Saudi King, and the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission appealed to Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee. Despite these international efforts and repeated pleas from the Sri Lankan government, Nafeek was executed by beheading on 9 January 2013, ending a prolonged and highly controversial campaign for her life.
The execution of Rizana Nafeek on 9 January 2013 sparked widespread condemnation. In Sri Lanka, Parliament observed a moment of silence, and opposition MP Ranjan Ramanayake criticized Saudi Arabia for disproportionately executing Asian and African workers. The UN, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and OHCHR, highlighted irregularities in her trial, noting lack of legal counsel, poor interpretation, and confessions obtained under duress, violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The EU, France, and the UK condemned the beheading and called for a moratorium on the death penalty. The Asian Human Rights Commission described it as “nothing less than murder.” Saudi authorities defended the trial’s fairness, while Nafeek’s mother refused cash compensation offered by the government.
Wrap Up
I wrote this piece to call out the crocodile tears shed by some pro-Hamas activists and members of Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, who use the deaths of Sri Lankans in Israel to blame the state and demand an end to migrant employment there, despite evidence proving otherwise. The harsh realities faced by workers in Gulf countries are conveniently ignored. Between 2010 and 2025, Saudi Arabia executed an estimated 1,800–2,500 migrant workers, including Indonesian and Filipino housemaids. The tragic case of Rizana Nafeek remains a powerful reminder of the risks that vulnerable workers confront in these environments. It seems they have also forgotten about Bandara Yatawara and Anula Ratnayake, who were killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. Their deaths receive no genuine grief from those who politicize every tragedy. True advocacy must focus on protecting migrant workers, addressing systemic dangers, and rejecting selective outrage crafted for personal, social, or political gain.
Note: In 2025, filmmaker Chandran Rutnam released “Rizana – A Caged Bird,” following his earlier flop, “According to Matthew,” aiming to depict her struggles. While such films bring attention to her story, they often prioritize profit over justice.
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