Mother says even policemen cried as the parents met her in prison

Mohamed Sultan Nafeek, Rizana's father, assured journalist RG Dharmadasa that his daughter was a 17-year old at the time of the 'murder' she was accused of committing.

"I got married in 1987. Rizana is the eldest among my four children, who just turned to 19," he told BBC Sandeshaya.

Teenage housemaid

The Sri Lankan house maid was convicted of strangling a four month old infant while working with a Saudi family.

She was then sentenced a death penalty of beheading according to the Saudi Arabian High Court.

We were all crying for over 15 minutes. We could not speak. Rizana appealed us to take her with us on our return Rizana's mother

The Sri Lankan girl, then seventeen years old, went to Saudi Arabia with high hopes of earning a living in order to help her family who were living in poverty.

She was still a schoolgirl studying at Sapi Nagar School. Her first thoughts at her tender age were a nice house and a good education for her family.

The Peoples Forum in Muttur said the community supports the parents appeal to Saudi and Sri Lankan authorities.

Peoples' Forum

"We appeal to both Sri Lanka and Saudi authorities to help them get Rizana released," Forum's representative Abdul Badhiud Jihad said.

Rizana's parents were among the eight-member delegation to Saudi Arabia led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bahila.

	Rizana has left to Saudi Arabia to help her poor family

The parents were allowed to meet Rizana for an hour twice during their seven day visit.

No men are allowed into the womens' prison, but Mohamed Sultan was allowed to visit his daughter.

Rizana's mother, Nafeek Fareena, told journalist RG Dharmadasa that even the policemen were tearful when they visited Rizana in the prison.

Saudi visit

"We were all crying for over 15 minutes. We could not speak. Rizana appealed us to take her with us on our return," she told BBCSinhala.com.

During the visit, a leader of an elite family in a village has assured them to help save Rizana's life.

He (head of an elite family) promised us to meet the family where Rizana worked when they come back from holiday Rizana's father

"He promised us to meet the family where Rizana worked when they come back from holiday," Mohamed Sultan Nafeek said.

Rizana has expressed hope that she will be released soon as she has not committed any offence.

"I feel very sad every time I recall how she was kept there. I saw even the policemen were crying," Nafeek Fareena said.