Sarah Balabagan
| Sarah Balabagan-Sereno | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sarah Balabagan August 16, 1979 Maguindanao, Philippines |
| Occupation | Overseas Filipino Worker (c.1993-1994) Singer, Entertainer |
| Known for | Her trial in the United Arab Emirates |
| Criminal charge | Premeditated murder |
| Criminal penalty |
Death penalty, by firing squad (initial sentence) 1 year of imprisonment and 100 lashes |
| Criminal status | Released (1996) |
Sarah Balabagan-Sereno (pronounced Ba-la-BAH-gan; born August 16, 1979) is a Filipina who was imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates from 1994–1996 for murder. She was initially sentenced to death, but was later returned to the Philippines. Her story was made into a controversial film in 1997.
Balabagan grew up in a poor Muslim family in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Maguindanao. She had 13 brothers and sisters but only six survived. Her siblings died due to disease and because of her family's financial constraints, it prevented them from availing adequate medical care. She worked for relatives at a young age to support her studies. She only managed to reach the fifth grade.
At age 14, Balabagan decided to work abroad. Her recruiter listed her age as 28 and managed to secure a job for her. She learnt of this falsification only when she was already on her flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. She was tasked by contract to work for a 67 year old widower with four sons. Balabagan was anxious of the employment and convinced herself that her employers would respect her since she and they were Muslims.
This was later proven to be false, as Balabagan became a subject of unsolicited sexual advancements.
On July 19, 1994, she killed her employer, Almas Mohammed al-Baloushi, stabbing him 34 times. She alleged that he had tried to rape her, and that she was acting in self-defence.
On June 26, 1995, a court ruled that she was guilty of manslaughter as well a victim of rape. She was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and ordered to pay 150,000 dirhams (US$40,000) in blood money to al-Baloushi's relatives, while at the same awarded 100,000 dirhams (US$27,000) as compensation for the rape. However, the prosecution appealed the verdict, calling for the death penalty. On September 6, 1995, a second Islamic court found no evidence of rape and convicted her of premeditated murder, sentencing her to death by firing squad. There was an international outcry and a defense campaign in several countries, as her case was seen as symbolising the ill-treatment of domestic servants in the Gulf countries, and just a few months earlier there had been the rather similar case of Flor Contemplación, a Filipina domestic worker who was hanged in Singapore that March.
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