Human Rights Watch has called on a Saudi court to reverse a decision to drop charges against a couple who severely beat their Indonesian maid.

The judge awarded a mere $670 compensation to Nour Miyati, who was tied up by her employers and left in a cellar for a month in 2005. The 25 year old woman was left without food and contracted gangrene as result of her ordeal.

The woman who employed her was initially sentenced to 35 lashes, but later had her sentence overturned. Her male employer was not charged with any crime.

According to Human Rights Watch, the ruling

"sends a dangerous message to Saudi employers that they can beat domestic workers with impunity and that victims have little hope of justice".

See this BBC article for the full story.