PUBLISHER'S NOTE: It was a relief to learn that Matthew and Grace Huang of Los Angeles had finally been acquitted by the Qatar judicial system, and permitted to return home to the USA. This Blog has been following their case. The prosecution had argued that the Huangs had killed Gloria by denying her food. The Huangs said she had an eating disorder, a vestige of her impoverished upbringing in Africa. A precise cause of death was never established. As the New York Times noted, part of the original murder prosecution rested on suspicion that the Huangs, who are of Asian descent, could not have possibly adopted a black African girl and must have been seeking to sell her or her organs. Moreover, the appeal judge said it was clear that the Huangs were good parents who cared for their children, as shown by witness testimony, and that their two other children were not abused. The judge also questioned, as the Huangs’ defense lawyers had done, the integrity of the forensic report that was the crux of the prosecution’s case.
STORY: "Qatar frees U.S. couple in death of daughter," by reporter Shabina S. Khatri and Rick Gladstone, published by the New York Times on November 30, 2014.
GIST: "The parents spent nearly a year in prison before their case was heard for the first time last November, when they were released on their own recognizance but ordered to remain in Qatar. Their other two children already had been sent home to the United States in the custody of Mrs. Huang’s mother. In March, the couple were found guilty of a reduced charge, child endangerment, and sentenced to three years in prison. They appealed to have the verdict dismissed, while prosecutors sought a more severe sentence. The Huangs were ordered to remain in Qatar pending the appeals court decision. On Sunday, the appellate judge, Abdul Rahman al-Sharafi, discredited the prosecution’s case point by point in his ruling, a highly unusual development in the Qatari judicial system, where prosecutors and the police are often heavily favored. Judge Sharafi said it was clear that the Huangs were good parents who cared for their children, as shown by witness testimony, and that their two other children were not abused. He also questioned, as the Huangs’ defense lawyers had done, the integrity of the forensic report that was the crux of the prosecution’s case. “The defense offered plenty of proof that they are not guilty,” he said.........The case took on added significance as the State Department repeatedly expressed its concern about the fairness of the prosecution, which originally charged the Huangs with murder in the death of their 8-year-old daughter, Gloria, in January 2013, and had suggested that the Huangs were child traffickers."
The entire story can be found at:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/world/middleeast/qatar-frees-us-couple-accused-of-killing-adopted-daughter.html?_r=0
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;
