DAMMAM – The father of a three-month-old baby who died after suckling from a poisoned milk bottle has criticized the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) for not paying any attention to court hearings into the infant's death that have been ongoing for the last three years. Ahmed Al-Boshal, father of the victim Mashari, said an HRC official visited his baby at the Dammam hospital where he was dying. He told local daily Al-Yaum on Wednesday: “This was about three years ago. This was the last time we heard from any official from the human rights organizations.” He criticized both the HRC and the NSHR for not following his son's case thoroughly. “This is an issue of public interest. “The two human rights organizations should have been involved in it from the beginning and without being asked.” Mashari died after drinking poisoned milk. The family's Indonesian housemaid put poison in his milk bottle and his mother had unknowingly given it to him. The child immediately showed signs of poisoning and died at the hospital. The maid admitted the crime and has since then been awaiting a court verdict while being remanded at Dammam general prison. The father said the court adjourned the cases several times and has not ruled on it for about three years now. He said the court would resume looking at the case on Jan. 8. Al-Boshal said the last court hearing was postponed so a medical report determining the causes of his child's death, from the Armed Forces Hospital in Riyadh where his son had died, could be examined. “The court asked for this report about two months ago and so far it has not arrived.” The father said that he took his comatose son to a number of hospitals in the Eastern Province but there was no effective treatment available. He said: “Following instructions issued by the late Crown Prince Sultan, my son was flown by air ambulance to the Armed Forces Hospital in Riyadh where he died.” — SG
