Iran Press/ Europe: Amnesty International has confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution sought the death penalty for Murtaja Qureiris last August for a series of offenses, some of which date back to when the teenager was just ten years old.
The use of the death penalty for offenses committed by people below 18 years of age is strictly prohibited by international law, Amnesty International UK reported.
Qureiris, now aged 18, was arrested in September 2014 and detained in a juvenile detention center in al-Dammam city. He was held in solitary confinement for a month and subjected to beatings and intimidation during his interrogation. His interrogators promised to release him if he confessed to charges against him. In May 2017, he was moved to al-Mabaheth prison in al-Dammam, an adult facility, even though he was still only 16.
Saudi Arabia oppressed Shi’a minority
Mainly populated by Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a minority, the Eastern Province saw waves of protests in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab uprisings which the authorities have cracked down over the years, including through prosecutions.
Murtaja Qureiris, now aged 18, was arrested in September 2014 and detained at Dar al-Mulahaza at the juvenile detention center in al-Dammam city. He was held in solitary confinement for a month and subjected to beatings and intimidation during his interrogation. His interrogators promised to release him if he confessed to the charges against him.
Murtaja Qureiris denied access to a lawyer
In May 2017, Murtaja Qureiris was moved to al-Mabaheth prison in al-Dammam, an adult prison, even though he was just 16 years old. Throughout his detention he was denied access to a lawyer until after his first court session in August 2018 at the Specialized Criminal Court, an anti-terror court set up in 2008, that has increasingly been used for cases involving human rights activists and protesters.
The charges against him include participating in anti-government protests, attending the funeral of his brother Ali Qureiris who was killed in a protest in 2011, joining a “terrorist organization,” throwing Molotov cocktails at a police station, and firing at security forces. He is currently awaiting his next trial session.
“The Saudi Arabian authorities have a chilling track record of using the death penalty as a weapon to crush political dissent and punish anti-government protesters -including children- from the country’s persecuted Shi’a minority,” said Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, Lynn Maalouf.
Saudi Arabia uses death penalty to crush political dissent
The Saudi Arabian authorities have a chilling track record of using the death penalty as a weapon to crush political dissent and punish anti-government protesters -including children- from the country’s persecuted Shi’a minority
In April, Amnesty International confirmed the execution of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, another Shi’a young man arrested aged 16 and convicted of offenses related to his involvement in anti-government protests. He was among 37 men put to death in one day as part of a gruesome execution spree earlier this year.
Three other Shi’a men Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher, and Dawood al-Marhoon, who were arrested individually in 2012 aged 17, 16 and 17 respectively, in connection with their involvement in anti-government protests, are at risk of being executed at any time. 101/201
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