A young man who was only 17 when he was convicted of vague political crimes may soon face execution in Saudi Arabia. The method of execution which will be used by the Saudi authorities: He will be beheaded and then crucified.
Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested, held in prison without access to a lawyer, and then tortured to extract a confession. His crime seems to be that he dared to criticize the Saudi ruling family and also happens to be the nephew of a vocal critic of the Saudi royals.
Human Rights Watch has been following al-Nimr’s story and recently noted:
“Saudi Arabia has been on an execution spree in 2015, but beheading a child offender whose trial was unfair would be an appalling new low. King Salman should immediately quash al-Nimr’s conviction and order a new trial that guarantees him a fear hearing.”
Since January, the Saudi government, long a close ally of the United States and strategic partner in the supply of precious oil has executed some 135 of its citizens, most of them convicted in show trials that are an insult to the very idea of justice.
Human Rights Watch also reports that in al-Nimr’s situation, the charges against him are incredibly vague and broadly defined. Officials never investigated the allegations that his confession was forced through torture. He was accused of everything from “breaking allegiance with the ruler,” to throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, even though prosecutors never demonstrated any proof of the charges.
International law prohibits executing people for crimes committed as children, but this seems very unlikely to mean that this young man will not be executed in the one of the most heinous and inhumane manners imaginable.
It should be noted that Al-Nimr’s uncle is, in fact, part of the Shia religious minority in the majority Sunni Saudi Arabia. Add that to his being a critic of the government, and you soon realize exactly why al-Nimr was arrested and jailed in direct violation of human rights and international law.
If this young man is executed, the Saudis should have to pay a price for their intolerance and brutality. But something in me knows they won’t.
