Saudi authorities are re-examining the death sentences handed down to three young men for crimes committed when they were minors, an official statement said on Thursday (August 27th), as the kingdom seeks to rebuild its human rights reputation.
Read also: Death sentence confirmed for two Bahrainis accused of the murder of a police officer
Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdallah al-Zaher, activists from the minority Shiite community, were arrested in 2012, when they were still minors, for taking part in anti-government protests. The prosecution ordered this week that the death sentences in the three cases be reviewed again, the Human Rights Commission, a government agency, said in a statement.
In April, this commission announced, citing a royal decree, the abolition of the death penalty for crimes committed by minors, a few days after the announcement of the abolition of flogging. Thursday's announcement " marks an important step forward in the implementation of a major reform of the legal system and in the advancement of human rights in Saudi Arabia, " Awwad Al-Awad, the head of the Saudi Arabian government , said in a statement. Commission.
The families of the three convicted were not officially informed, but learned the news through the media, activists said. " The announcement to review the death sentences against three young men (...) marks a long-awaited step towards justice, " said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa official at Amnesty International. " We call on the Saudi authorities to ensure that in the event of a new trial, it takes place in a fair and transparent manner (...) The authorities must also ensure that the " confessions " obtained under torture do not are not used, ”he added.
One of the highest execution rates in the world
The NGO Reprieve also welcomed the announcement. " If the Saudi authorities keep their word, and if all the death sentences handed down to those convicted of crimes committed when they were minors are reviewed, then this is a huge positive change ," said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve. “ Ali, Dawood and Abdallah were imprisoned as children, and spent nearly a decade of their youth fearful of execution, ” she lamented.
Reprieve added that four people convicted of crimes committed as minors are currently facing execution in Saudi Arabia, and prosecutors are calling for the death penalty for nine other youths.
The ultra-conservative kingdom has been accused of human rights violations by international NGOs, especially since the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which sparked an international outcry. The country has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Activists, however, remain skeptical that these reforms could lead to the release of political prisoners or end the executions.