URGENT ACTION APPEAL
17 May 2007
UA 116/07 Death Penalty/Fear of imminent execution
SAUDI ARABIA
Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'I (m), Saudi Arabian national
Mohamed Kohail (m), aged 22, Canadian national
Sultan Kohail (m), aged 16, Canadian national
The three named above, two of them child offenders, may all
be at risk of imminent execution. Saudi Arabia is a state
party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
has undertaken not to execute any offenders who were
children when they committed the offence.
According to the newspaper Okaz, Saudi Arabian national
Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'i was sentenced to death for a murder
committed while he was still a child. He was held in a
juvenile detention facility until he was 18 years old, when
he was moved to al-Taif Prison. He has appealed to the
family of the victim to pardon him: if this fails, he could
be executed within days. All death sentences must be
ratified by the Supreme Judicial Council, headed by the
King, before they can be carried out. However, under Qisas
(retribution), which is a punishment under Shari'a law,
relatives of the murder victim can pardon the offender
without compensation, or they can demand diya (blood money)
in exchange for a pardon. When this happens, the death
sentence is rescinded and the offender if often released.
Negotiation of a pardon in the western part of Saudi Arabia
is often initiated or facilitated by the Pardon and
Reconciliation Committee. The Committee is said to be
mediating on behalf of Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'i to secure a
pardon and prevent his execution.
Canadian national Mohamed Kohail is also said to be facing
execution for murdering a Syrian boy in January 2007. His
16-year-old brother Sultan Kohail is held with him in
connection with the murder, but it is not clear whether he
too has been sentenced to death. Mohamed Kohail was
reportedly beaten to force him to sign a confession.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of
offences. Court proceedings fall far short of international
standards for fair trial, and take place behind closed
doors.
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,
torture or deception.
In January 2006 the Saudi Arabian authorities told the
Committee on the Rights of the Child (which monitors states'
implementation of the CRC) that no one had been executed for
offences committed when they were under 18 years of age
since the CRC came into force in the country, in February
1996. The Committee urged the authorities to ensure that no
child offenders were sentenced to death.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly
as possible:
- expressing concern at reports that Dhahian Rakan al-
Sibai'I, who was a child at the time of the offence, and
Mohamed Kohail, have been sentenced to death, and urging the
authorities to ensure that these sentences are not carried
out;.
- expressing concern that Sultan Kohail, aged 16, may also
be under sentence of death, and urging the authorities to
commute his sentence if this is the case;
- pointing out that the execution of child offenders is
expressly prohibited by the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, to which Saudi Arabia is a state party;
- reminding Saudi Arabia of its assurances to the Committee
on the Rights of the Child that no executions of child
offenders have been carried out since the convention came
into force in Saudi Arabia;
- calling on Saudi Arabia to take the necessary steps to
halt the imposition of death sentences against child
offenders, as recommended by the CRC Committee;
- expressing concern at the recent increase in the number of
executions in Saudi Arabia, against UN calls for moratorium
on the death penalty and the international trend to abolish
the death penalty.
APPEALS TO:
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
Salutation: Your Majesty
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1 403 1185
011 966 1 403 3614
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nasseriya Street
Riyadh 11124
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1 403 0645
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
COPIES TO:
Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 3113
Email: info at saudiembassy.net
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the AIUSA Urgent
Action Office if sending appeals after 28 June 2007.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable).
Thank you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan at aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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