Chronology of Rey Cortez' Case

May 2002. Rey arrested for the alleged murder of a Pakistani taxi driver; Rey maintains his action was in self-defense. Before arresting him, Saudi Arabian police shot Rey twice in the left foot even after he already raised his arms to surrender.

Previous to his arrest, Rey was a welder at the Al-Allah Car Workshop in Riyadh's Sinaya District. He first went to Saudi Arabia in 1993 and his wife says he planned to return home "for good" June 2002 to set up a motor repair shop. He is the father of six children ranging from 6 years to 18 years old.

December 22, 2003. Judge Mohammad Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh and two other judges of the Riyadh Grand Court find Cortez guilty of the charge murder and frustrated murder; the Judges sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes.

November 27, 2004. Following an appeal filed by Cortez with the Riyadh Appellate Court, the court upon hearing his claim that he killed the taxi driver in self-defense, reduced his jail sentence to 10 years.

May 11, 2005. Noting that the victim's private right or computation of blood money was not addressed, a hearing on the victim's private right was held in the Riyadh Grand Court; Judge Mohammad Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh asked the victim's brother if they would accept SR100,000 in blood money but the victim's brother rejected the offer and any other amount.

May 30, 2005. Rey's sentence is read to him by the Riyadh Grand Court Judge through a Filipino court interpreter.#