STORY: "Final ruling set for US couple convicted in Qatar," by reporter Abdullah Rebhy, published by the Associated Press on October 20, 2014.
PHOTO CAPTION: American couple Grace and Matthew Huang,
sentenced to jail over charges they starved their 8-year-old adopted
daughter to death, talk before they meet with U.S. Ambassador to Qatar,
Dana Shell Smith, at a hotel in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014. The
American couple were released from prison in November, but were banned
from leaving Qatar during their trial. Their appeal begins on Monday.
GIST: "An American couple convicted in Qatar of child
endangerment will receive a final verdict on their appeal on November
30, a Qatari judge announced on Monday. Matthew
and Grace Huang of Los Angeles were originally jailed on murder charges
following the January 2013 death of their adopted daughter Gloria. They
were released from prison last November, but banned from leaving during
the trial. In March, the court sentenced them to three years in prison
for child endangerment. The
Huangs, of Asian descent, have remained out of prison during their
appeal. They have insisted that their daughter, who was born in Ghana,
died of medical problems complicated by unusual eating habits. "It
feels like there is no end to this," Matthew Huang told reporters
outside the courtroom Monday. "The Qatar government is ignoring the
calls of the U.S. government for our release." The
prosecution alleged that the couple had denied food to Gloria and said
the child was locked in her room at night. The girl was pronounced dead
when the Huangs took her to the hospital in January 2013. The
case has raised concerns about possible cultural misunderstandings in
Qatar, where Western-style adoptions and cross-cultural families are
relatively rare. An investigative report by the Qatari police had
focused partially on why the Huangs would adopt children who did not
share their "hereditary traits", according to the family's website. The
Huangs will be able to take their case to a higher court after the
appeals verdict, though Qatar's highest judicial body traditionally
rules in favor of the lower court's rulings."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/oct/20/final-ruling-set-for-us-couple-convicted-in-qatar/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;