Document - Arabie saoudite. Exécution imminente d'un Irakien en Arabie saoudite
Further information on UA: 21/09 Index: MDE 23/003/2010 Saudi Arabia Date: 11 March 2010
URGENT ACTION
STOP EXECUTION OF IRAQI MAN IN SAUDI ARABIA
Iraqi national Mohammad Abdul Amir has been scheduled for execution on 13 March in the town of Arar, near Saudi Arabia's border with Iraq. He was found guilty of murder around 1995 after being tortured in order to force him to confess. The King has the power to halt the execution.
Mohammad Abdul Amir, a 35-year-old Iraqi man with children, 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 beaten and suspended by his feet. During the interrogations, he is reported to have sustained a broken rib as a result of torture and was hospitalized for a month. A criminal court in Arar sentenced him to death after a summary and secret trial. He has not been allowed any access to lawyers or other legal assistance.
Under Saudi Arabian law, those found guilty in murder cases are often sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind). In these cases, the relatives of the victim have the power to seek execution, request diya(compensation) or grant a pardon freely. The relatives of the murder victim must reach adulthood before they decide on 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 Mohammad Abdul Amir was to be pardoned or executed. The children have since reached the age of majority and are reported to have informed the court which tried him that they want him to be executed.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, English or your own language:
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urging the King to halt the execution of Mohammad Abdul Amir;
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calling on the King to commute the death sentences 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;
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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 IMMEDIATELY TO:
King and Prime Minister
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)
+966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud, Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
And copies to:
President, Human Rights Commission
Mr Bandar Mohammed ‘Abdullah al- Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373, Riyadh 11515
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 461 2061
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
Salutation: Dear Mr al-Aiban
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives of Saudi Arabia accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 21/09 (MDE 23/003/2010). Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE23/003/2009/en
URGENT ACTION
STOP EXECUTION OF IRAQI MAN IN SAUDI ARABIA
ADditional Information
At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed in 2008. In 2009, 69 people are known to have been executed, including almost 20 foreign nationals. Since the beginning of 2010, at least eight people have been executed.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
In a report on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia (Index: MDE 23/027/2008). http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014
Further information on UA: 21/09 Index: MDE 23/003/2010 Issue Date: 11 March 2010
