September 29 had been the next scheduled hearing in the case of Rifqa Bary, the Ohio teen who ran away to Florida out of fear that she would be killed for converting from Islam to Christianity. But yesterday her parents filed a motion for a hearing seeking jurisdiction of the case to be moved from Orlando to Columbus. An Ohio judge has set a hearing for October 27. The Florida judge currently supervising the case said at a hearing in Orlando on Monday afternoon that he will consult with his Ohio counterpart to settle jurisdictional issues. (See related video report)
Bary is in foster care in Florida while her case is being reviewed. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation found no credible threats to Bary.
But W.L. Cati, the founder of White Horse Ministry, Inc., is concerned that Bary is not a U.S. citizen and that her parents might send her back to Sri Lanka, where she would be in grave danger.
“We’re talking about getting asylum for her. That’s a long process,” she notes. “But maybe even if her attorney would start that process, that might block some of this because there is definite cause for fear for her to go back to her country or to her parents.”
According to Cati, Bary’s family apparently let their visas expire. “They’re walking on thin ice because they’ve been here five years illegally,” she adds. “What we need to pray is her parents get deported, and she is allowed to stay here.”
Cati plans to be on hand for the next hearing.
By Chad Groening
www.onenewsnow.com
via Political Asylum Suggested As Remedy for Rifqa.
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