Family of slain OFW Jullebee Ranara: 15 years jail time for killer not enough
MANILA, Philippines — The family of Jullebee Ranara, the overseas Filipino worker whose charred remains were found in a desert in Kuwait early this year, has expressed dismay over the length of imprisonment handed down by a Kuwaiti court to the suspect behind her killing.
The accused, 17-year-old Ayed Al-Azmi, had received a relatively short prison sentence of 15 years because he was a minor, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
Ranara was raped, murdered and burned by her employer’s son. An autopsy later revealed that she was pregnant at the time of her death.
“The justice (my daughter) received is not enough,” Norylnda Cabiles, Jullebee Ranara's mother, said in Filipino in an interview on CNN Philippines' The Source.
Cabiles and Jullebee’s brother, Mark Reyes, also said that they believed only life imprisonment for the accused could bring justice to Ranara, whose death left behind four children.
“Fifteen years? That seems too little because she lost her life and what was done to her was too much," Reyes said in Filipino.
Philstar.com has reached out to the DFA and will update this story with its response.
The DFA statement said that “the family of the OFW has been informed and is grateful for the assistance provided them by the government.”
Al-Azmi has 30 days to appeal the judgment to Kuwait’s Court of First Instance, the DFA said.
In a statement, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commended the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, the Department of Migrant Workers, and the Kuwaiti Authorities for “their continued pursuit of justice” for Ranara.
Marcos said: “We hope that the appeal process will be conducted fairly, and justice will be served accordingly.” — Cristina Chi
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