Sarah Balabagan

EDM number 541 in 1995-96, proposed by John Gunnell on 28/02/1996.

That this House is appalled, repelled and angered to learn that the full sentence of 100 lashes has been carried out on 16 year old Sarah Balabagan, that she received 20 lashes on each of five successive days and that she remains imprisoned and subject to a massive fine payable to the family of the man she stabbed after he had attempted to rape her; remainds those in control of the United Arab Emirates that the judicial punishment of flogging is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that 'no-one shall be subjected to torture or to civil, inhuman or degrading punishment'; calls on those responsible to ensure adequate medical help is available to this child; publicly verified by the Red Cross and the Philippines Embassy, cancel her remaining fine and imprisonment and restore her to her own family,; and furthermore ask the Foreign Secretary to support the condemnation of this House, share its concern for this child, and convey its views to the UAE authorities and call on them to stop the use of flogging as a judicial punishment.

This motion has been signed by a total of 75 MPs, 2 of these signatures have been withdrawn.