A Saudi preacher, who raped and killed his daughter, escaped charges after he agreed to pay 'blood money' to her mother.
The five-year-old victim was raped and set on fire by her father in October. The girl was later admitted to a hospital and medical examination proved that she was repeatedly raped. The victim also sustained serious injuries to her head and ribs. Her left arm was also found crushed.
The accused, Fayhan al-Ghamdi is a celebrity Islamic preacher who appeared regularly on Muslim television networks.
Ghamdi had only served a few months of imprisonment before agreeing to pay 'blood money'. Islamic law states that the offender can give money as compensation to victim's kin in return for clemency.
An activist group known as "Women to Drive" alleged that the accused doubted the virginity of his daughter Lama al-Ghamdi and took her to a clinic for a check-up. The group said that Ghamdi confessed to the crime and used a cane and cables to inflict injuries on the victim.
The activists also said that instead of a capital punishment or a life-long imprisonment, the court had ruled that the prosecution could only seek 'blood money'.
The accused had agreed to pay an amount over ₹2,500,000 as "blood money" to the girl's mother.
According to Saudi Arabian laws, fathers could not be executed for murdering their children and husbands could not be executed for murdering their wives.
Several activists have raised objection to the verdict and expressed their protest through social media.
The demand for women and child protection has also risen due to which authorities have promised a 24-hour hotline to take calls regarding child abuse.
