 |
| Ali Mohammed al-Nimr is accused of participating in an illegal demonstration and firearms offences |
The family of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a Saudi teenager facing death by crucifixion or beheading for taking part in an anti-government protest, fear his execution is imminent.
A member of the Shia minority, he was only 17 years old and still a schoolboy when he was arrested three and a half years ago at a rally in Qatif during the Arab Spring.
The Saudi authorities sentenced the teenager to death after convicting him of armed robbery, possessing a machine gun, attacking security forces and attending an illegal protest.
An appeal was rejected by the country’s supreme court last month and he was moved into solitary confinement along with, it is believed, two other teenagers facing the death penalty for similar offences – Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher.
The death sentence imposed on the teenager has intensified criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
Fears that the Saudis are preparing for his execution have been heightened by the abrupt cancellation of prison visits and phone calls. » | David Millward | Friday, October 16, 2015
