UN issues urgent call for Saudi Arabia to stay execution of juvenile offender

[Catherina]

Source: Independent

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr crucifixion: UN issues urgent call for Saudi Arabia to stay execution of juvenile offender

Mr al-Nimr was sentenced to death for being involved in anti-government protests when he was 16 or 17 years old

Adam Withnall
Thursday 24 September 2015 11:05 BST
41 comments

The UN has issued an urgent call for Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of a young man who faces imminent beheading and crucifixion for crimes he reportedly committed as a child.

A Saudi court has upheld the sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of a prominent government dissident, despite growing and high-level international condemnation.

Mr al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 for his participation in Arab Spring protests when he was just 16 or 17 years old, could now be put to death at any time.

The young man’s case has been the subject of fervent campaigning from rights groups including Amnesty International and Reprieve, who say he was tortured and forced to sign a false confession before being sentenced to “death by crucifixion”.


Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/ali-mohammed-al-nimr-crucifixion-un-issues-urgent-call-for-saudi-arabia-to-stay-execution-of-10515294.html

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In more *cheerful* news

U.S. State Department “Welcomes” News That Saudi Arabia Will Head U.N. Human Rights Panel

Last week’s announcement that Saudi Arabia — easily one of the world’s most brutally repressive regimes — was chosen to head a U.N. Human Rights Council panel provoked indignation around the world. That reaction was triggered for obvious reasons. Not only has Saudi Arabia executed more than 100 people already this year, mostly by beheading (a rate of 1 execution every two days), and not only is it serially flogging dissidents, but it is reaching new levels of tyrannical depravity as it is about to behead and then crucify the 21-year-old son of a prominent regime critic, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who was convicted at the age of 17 of engaging in demonstrations against the government.

Most of the world may be horrified at the selection of Saudi Arabia to head a key U.N. human rights panel, but the U.S. State Department most certainly is not. Quite the contrary: its officials seem quite pleased about the news. At a State Department briefing yesterday afternoon, Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner was questioned by the invaluable Matt Lee of AP, and this is the exchange that resulted:

....

More: https://theintercept.com/2015/09/23/u-s-state-department-welcomes-news-close-ally-saudi-arabia-chosen-head-u-n-human-rights-council-panel/

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr

[leftynyc]

1. Uncivilized barbarians

I know we're exporting more oil than we're importing at this point so why are we stuck with these animals for allies? Can't we get whatever we need from Canada?

[Catherina]

10. I have no answer... Just

something that pains the soul

Saudi Arabia to be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
be head
of UN Human Rights Panel

[leftynyc]

12. That's nauseating

and given our lessened dependence on oil, it's not something I understand. In all honesty, I haven't thought much of the UN for many years now.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

2. They crucify him and THEN behead him?

Jeez. Not much else to say. I hope he can be saved.

[Catherina]

3. What better qualification to head the UN Human Rights Panel?

How sick is that?

I hope he can be saved too. And I hope the people of Saudi Arabia rise up against that barbaric regime.

[leftynyc]

4. What comes next?

If they manage to overthrow the royal family, what's in the wings? I ask because it seems the only choices in that neighborhood are brutal dictators or fanatical religious freaks.

[Catherina]

8. We'd really have to scrape beneath the bottom of the barrel

to get much worse than the despots ruling now.

I don't know how true or how valid this is but there was stuff flitting across my screen today about emergency meetings in Saudi Arabia to find a replacement for the current despot. I didn't click on the links so that's the little I know.

[leftynyc]

11. Unless it's isis

who have turned on their bank account. They would be worse. I honestly don't see the current crew handing over power very easily. Are you able to tell me where those reports about emergency meetings came from?

[cprise]

20. If its some kind of choice between the Saudis and IS

(which is stupid, IMO) then you can count on the mass media in this country to keep covering for the Saudis and screaming about "ISIS".

And of course, the Saudis think they are morally superior as well:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-claims-difference-is-clear-between-state-sanctioned-executions-and-isis-beheadings-10019780.html?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-executions-amnesty-international-beheadings-death-sentences-rate-under-king-salman-10470456.html

Though I don't see how that can be true in a country where you can be executed for sorcery or apostasy.

[jmowreader]

9. Nope. Other way around.

Word of advice: if you do not have an iron constitution, PLEASE do not read this post.

Does the phrase "a warning to the others" mean anything to you? It should, because that's what a Saudi crucifixion is.

What they are going to do to this kid is unspeakable but I must speak it anyway, so you understand the horror of the situation.

On a Friday morning coming soon - executions almost always happen on Fridays in Saudi - they are going to take him to Deera Square and behead him. They will then sew his head back on, hang him from a cross beside one of the main roads into town, and put a sign over his head explaining who he was and why he was executed. In this case they won't put the REAL reason on the sign: his dad is a prominent Saudi dissident, so they are going to kill a member of his family and display the body to the world to teach him a lesson.

The difference between the Mafia and the Saudi royal family is very slim indeed.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

15. A little bit of overkill, if you ask me.

Thanks for the info!

[LeftishBrit]

5. How disgusting and cruel

and it all seems pretty much the ultimate in hiring a fox to guard a henhouse.

[AuntPatsy]

6. Where is the call for sanctions?

[Catherina]

7. After Saudi Arabia is finished bombing Yemen back into the stone age

and the 6 Million people the bombs they bought from us have starved, maybe we'll hear some weak discussion about the remote possibility of sanctions.

It's all so ugly

[AuntPatsy]

13. I don't know why I'm even surprised....

[eissa]

14. Oh, no, the UN!

The same body that just made the corrupt savages of Saudi Arabia the head of their Human Rights Council? Ooohhhh, I bet the Saudis are terrified now

[Maxinedaily]

16. Thank you for highlighting this barbaric regime.

US State Department Briefing earlier from Wednesday:

QUESTION: Yesterday, Saudi Arabia was named to head the Human Rights Council, and today I think they announced they are about to behead a 21-year-old Shia activist named Muhammed al-Nimr. Are you aware of that?

MR TONER: I’m not aware of the trial that you – or the verdict – death sentence.

QUESTION: Well, apparently, he was arrested when was 17-years-old and kept in juvenile detention, then moved on. And now, he’s been scheduled to be executed.

MR TONER: Right. I mean, we’ve talked about our concerns about some of the capital punishment cases in Saudi Arabia in our Human Rights Report, but I don’t have any more to add to it.

QUESTION: So you --

QUESTION: Well, how about a reaction to them heading the council?

MR TONER: Again, I don’t have any comment, don’t have any reaction to it. I mean, frankly, it’s – we would welcome it. We’re close allies. If we --

QUESTION: Do you think that they’re an appropriate choice given – I mean, how many pages is – does Saudi Arabia get in the Human Rights Report annually?

MR TONER: I can’t give that off the top of my head, Matt.

QUESTION: I can’t either, but let’s just say that there’s a lot to write about Saudi Arabia and human rights in that report. I’m just wondering if you that it’s appropriate for them to have a leadership position.

MR TONER: We have a strong dialogue, obviously a partnership with Saudi Arabia that spans, obviously, many issues. We talk about human rights concerns with them. As to this leadership role, we hope that it’s an occasion for them to look at human rights around the world but also within their own borders.

QUESTION: But you said that you welcome them in this position. Is it based on improved record? I mean, can you show or point to anything where there is a sort of stark improvement in their human rights record?

MR TONER: I mean, we have an ongoing discussion with them about all these human rights issues, like we do with every country. We make our concerns clear when we do have concerns, but that dialogue continues. But I don’t have anything to point to in terms of progress.

QUESTION: Would you welcome as a – would you welcome a decision to commute the sentence of this young man?

MR TONER: Again, I’m not aware of the case, so it’s hard for me to comment on it other than that we believe that any kind of verdict like that should come at the end of a legal process that is just and in accordance with international legal standards.

[Catherina]

17. Awful. Thanks for posting that. n/t

[Maxinedaily]

19. Your welcome.

I was surprised to see that the Atlantic actually covered this topic yesterday.



When Beheading Won’t Do the Job, the Saudis Resort to Crucifixion
The stunning human-rights abuses of a U.S. ally

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/saudi-arabia-beheading-crucifixion-nimr/407221/?utm_source=SFFB

[tabasco]

18. Is Saudi Arabia's ol' buddy George AWOL Boosh getting involved?