URGENT ACTION

IRAQI NATIONAL'S EXECUTION STAYED

The Saudi Arabian government has stayed the execution of an Iraqi man, Mohammad Abdul Amir, to allow his family to negotiate his fate with relatives of the man he allegedly murdered. However, it is unclear how long the execution has been stayed for, and he could be executed at any time if the negotiations break down.

Mohammad Abdul Amir, aged 35, was arrested in 1995 and charged with the murder of a Saudi Arabian man. He confessed to the crime after being interrogated for three months, during which he was allegedly tortured. A criminal court in the town of Arar, near Saudi Arabia's border with Iraq, sentenced him to death after a summary and secret trial. He has not been allowed any access to lawyers.

Under Saudi Arabian law, those found guilty of murder are often sentenced to qisas(retribution in kind). In these cases, the victim's relatives have the power to seek execution, request diya(compensation) or grant a pardon freely. The relatives of the murder victim must reach adulthood before deciding the fate of those found guilty of murder. Mohammad Abdul Amir has remained on death row as the children of the murder victim were too young to be consulted on whether he was to be pardoned or executed. They have since reached the age of majority and are said to have informed the court which tried him that they want him to be executed. Mohammad Abdul Amir was scheduled to be executed on 13 March. The length of the stay he has been granted is not known. Prisoners under sentence of death may be executed without the date of their execution being made known to them or their families.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, English or your own language:

• calling on the King to commute the death sentences of Mohammad Abdul Amir and those of all others under sentence of death in Saudi Arabia as a matter of urgency, with a view to abolishing the death penalty;

• urging the authorities to remand the case for a retrial that meets international fair trial standards;

• calling on authorities to carry out an immediate and impartial investigation into allegations that Mohammad Abdul Amir was tortured, and bring those responsible to justice;

• reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with international standards for fair trial, including the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, which state that capital punishment may only be imposed after a fair trial in which the defendant is provided with “adequate legal assistance at all stages of the proceedings”.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 APRIL 2010 TO: