Kuwaiti teen jailed for 15 years for brutal rape and murder of Filipino domestic worker
- The death of Jullebee Ranara sparked outrage and put the spotlight back on the plight of migrant workers in Kuwait
- Turki Ayed Al-Azmi, 17, was arrested in January after police found Ranara’s charred body in a desert, with her skull smashed
Kuwait has sentenced a teenager to 15 years in prison for the brutal rape and murder of his family’s Filipino domestic worker, in a case that sparked outrage and put the spotlight back on the plight of migrant workers in the oil-rich kingdom.
Turki Ayed Al-Azmi, 17, was arrested in January after police in the Gulf state discovered the charred body of Jullebee Ranara in a desert, with her skull smashed.
An autopsy report showed that Ranara, 35, was pregnant at the time of her death.
Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Thursday that a juvenile court also handed a one-year jail term to Al-Azmi for driving without a licence. It added the boy was given a lesser penalty for being a minor, and that he had 30 days to appeal against the verdict.
“The Philippine government acknowledges the efforts undertaken by the Kuwaiti authorities to effect a speedy resolution of the case, in the pursuit of justice for our slain kababayan [countryman],” the DFA said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in February temporarily banned first-time helpers from working in Kuwait, following the murder of Ranara, a mother of four, amid mounting anger and calls for accountability.
