Saudi court delays Indonesian maid's case

The case against a Saudi woman accused of badly beating her Indonesian maid was postponed Tuesday because the maid is not yet ready to confront the woman, an Indonesian official said.

"Sumiati is not psychologically ready to appear in court," said Diddi Wahyudi, an official of the Indonesian consulate in Jeddah.

Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, was found in early November suffering from stab wounds, burns to her scalp and other injuries allegedly from the abusive employer.

The case shocked and outraged rights groups and labour activists as another example of the paucity of protection for millions of mostly Asian domestic workers, especially in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

Wahyudi said the Medina court hearing the case has not yet rescheduled it.