The Minya Criminal Court decided on Saturday to refer the papers of the accused "Hajar Ahmed Abdel Karim", known as "Naema", to the Grand Mufti of the Republic, in preparation for her execution, after she was convicted of killing her husband and her six children in Delga village, belonging to Deir Mawas center, Minya governorate.
The court held its first session amidst heavy security presence, and the accused appeared holding her young child, while the court listened to the defense's requests, which included discussing the forensic doctor and a number of procedural and technical requests.
After the referral decision was issued, feelings of relief prevailed among the family members of the victims in Delga village, who saw in the decision a first step towards achieving the expected justice.
The uncle of the victimized children said: "We thank God who revealed the truth today, and we thank the fair Egyptian judiciary for its decision to refer the accused's papers to the Mufti. We will demand custody of the accused's children who are my brother's children so that we can take care of them and raise them appropriately after the tragedy that befell them."
The mother of the six children said, with a voice overwhelmed by sadness: "I saw the accused in the previous session holding her young daughter, and I felt sorry for the girl because she and her sister are innocent. The accused committed a great sin and caused me unbearable pain."
She added: "I do not know why she did this to me, and my husband never left her needing anything. She feared divorce after my husband returned to me, so she chose to kill all my children and husband. It would have been far less painful if he had just divorced me."
