We, the members of the Coalition of Filipino Organizations in Japan, especially The Philippine Women's League of Japan, invite all Filipinos residing and working in Japan to please join us in appealing to the government of Kuwait to stop the execution of MARILOU RANARIO, 35, a former domestic helper from Surigao del Norte, and if possible reduce her sentence in the name of truth and justice.
Please copy the letter below and send it to HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH SABAH AL-AHMAD AL-JABER AL-SABAH, the Amir of the State of Kuwait as follows: Sample letter of appeal to the Kuwait Amir
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HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH SABAH AL-AHMAD AL-JABER AL-SABAH
The Amir of the State of Kuwait
Al Diwan Al Amiri,
Sief Palace – Building 100
State of Kuwait.
Telephone: +965 888881
Fax: +965 2430559
amirsoffice@da.gov.kw
September 26, 2007
Your Highness,
I am writing to appeal to you, on humanitarian grounds, to spare the life of Filipino domestic worker Marilou Ranario, whose death sentence by hanging is now under final appeal with Kuwait’s Court of Cassation. I was informed that a final decision is expected sometime early next year.
I empathize greatly with Marilou’s plight because her story is one that is largely shared by countless other migrants.
Marilou is a young mother, wife, sister and daughter who wanted little more than a better life for her family. She is a teacher by profession but poverty compelled her to leave behind her children and work in Kuwait as a domestic worker. Her husband is a jeepney driver but until today, he does not have a regular source of income. It is truly tragic that in her bid to eke out a decent living for her children, she now faces the prospect of perhaps never seeing them again.
In this regard, I hope very much that the extreme conditions Marilou may have been subject to before the tragic death of her employer is considered. According to statements by Marilou’s family, Marilou reportedly told them that she was being severly maltreated and that the night before her employer’s death, she feared greatly for her life.
In closing, I wish to thank your Highness in advance for considering my letter of appeal and again, I hope very much that Marilou’s life may indeed be spared.
Your sincerely,
Name:
Address and Phone No.
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The Amir of the State of Kuwait
Al Diwan Al Amiri,
Sief Palace – Building 100
State of Kuwait.
Telephone: +965 888881
Fax: +965 2430559
amirsoffice@da.gov.kw
September 26, 2007
Your Highness,
I am writing to appeal to you, on humanitarian grounds, to spare the life of Filipino domestic worker Marilou Ranario, whose death sentence by hanging is now under final appeal with Kuwait’s Court of Cassation. I was informed that a final decision is expected sometime early next year.
I empathize greatly with Marilou’s plight because her story is one that is largely shared by countless other migrants.
Marilou is a young mother, wife, sister and daughter who wanted little more than a better life for her family. She is a teacher by profession but poverty compelled her to leave behind her children and work in Kuwait as a domestic worker. Her husband is a jeepney driver but until today, he does not have a regular source of income. It is truly tragic that in her bid to eke out a decent living for her children, she now faces the prospect of perhaps never seeing them again.
In this regard, I hope very much that the extreme conditions Marilou may have been subject to before the tragic death of her employer is considered. According to statements by Marilou’s family, Marilou reportedly told them that she was being severly maltreated and that the night before her employer’s death, she feared greatly for her life.
In closing, I wish to thank your Highness in advance for considering my letter of appeal and again, I hope very much that Marilou’s life may indeed be spared.
Your sincerely,
Name:
Address and Phone No.
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OVERVIEW:
MARILOU RANARIO, 35 years old, was arrested and imprisoned for the alleged murder of her female employer NajatMahmoud Faraj Mobarak on 11 January 2005.
She was sentenced to death by hanging by Kuwait’s Courtof First Instance on 28 September 2005. She appealed the verdict but Kuwait’s Court of Appeals upheld this sentence in February 2007.
MARILOU RANARIO, 35 years old, was arrested and imprisoned for the alleged murder of her female employer NajatMahmoud Faraj Mobarak on 11 January 2005.
She was sentenced to death by hanging by Kuwait’s Courtof First Instance on 28 September 2005. She appealed the verdict but Kuwait’s Court of Appeals upheld this sentence in February 2007.
Her case is now under final appeal with the highest court, the Court of Cassation. Oral arguments are set to start this November 13th with a final verdict to be released in the first quarter of 2008.
A closer look at her case reveals that Marilou is in fact more a victim than a criminal.
Marilou is a victim of a systemic poverty so intense that it forces more than 3,000 Filipinos daily to workoverseas just to survive. In her bid to earn a decent living for her family, Marilou grasped onto the knife’s edge and went to Kuwait as a domestic worker -- even though she is a teacher by profession.
Clearly, Marilou went abroad because of her dream to give her children a better life – and not to commit a crime in a foreign land. Marilou is a victim of abuse and human rights violations. She suffered maltreatment, verbal and physical abuse from her employer. She was also not given her salary, which was much needed by her family in thePhilippines, for three months.
Marilou is also a victim of the Arroyo administration’s criminal neglect. From January to September 2005, when she was sentenced to death by hanging, Marilou received very little assistance from the Arroyo administration.
FACT SHEET:
Marilou RanarioSentenced to death in Kuwait
In fact, from January to April, she was left completely on her own because it was only in April 2005 that she was even provided a lawyer to help with her defense.
In 2005, a Migrante International campaign to expose her plight and the government’s criminal neglect of her case compelled Vice-President Noli de Castro to bring Marilou’s parents to Kuwait for a visit with Marilou in prison in October 2006. But instead of helping her case, VP de Castro may have even worsened it by boastfully assuring the family and the public that Marilou’s life would be spared – especially considering how despite the letter of forgiveness or tanazul given by the family of Marilou’s victims, the Court of Appeals affirmed in February2007, the initial verdict of death by hanging.
Under Shariah Law, the personal aspect of the Marilou’s case is already resolved with the provision of the letter of forgiveness. However, this aspect is outweighed by the public aspect which is now being heard by the Court of Cassation or Kuwait’s highest court.
A major factor that may influence the court’s final decision is the presence of a massive outpouring of national and international support in favor of Marilou.The weeks remaining until the release of the final verdict in the first quarter of 2008 is the only window of hope left for Marilou and her family.
Let us maximize this time to mount a strong campaign that will generate an overwhelming public opinion for Marilou Ranario – an abused domestic worker, a teacher by profession and a young mother whose sole and simple dream was to build a better tomorrow for her young children and her family.
CHRONOLOGY:
December 10, 2003: Marilou leaves for a 2 year contract in Kuwait as a domestic worker
July 4, 2004: Her recruitment agency transfers her to a new employer, Kuwaiti Najat MahmoudFaraj Mubarak, 45 years old; however her visa was never transferred to this employer
January 11, 2005: Marilou allegedly kills her employer; surrenders to authorities
May 11, 2005: First Court hearing is held
June 1, 2005: Court refers Marilou to have her mental status assessed; she is admitted to the Psychological Hospital; findings show Marilou was sane during the incident
September 28, 2005: Marilou is sentenced to death by hanging by Judge Saleh Al-Houty and two other associates of the Court of First Instance of the Criminal Circuit Court
December 2005: Marilou’s family finds out about the death sentence after her father calls the Department of Foreign Affairs to inquire about the case; the family is denied a copy of the appeal the DFA states it submitted to the Court of Appeals for Marilou
February 17, 2007: Court of Appeals upholds the death sentence
September 15, 2007: Campaign countdown towards justice for Marilou is launched.
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