A man has been executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes he allegedly committed as a minor

Its principles Of Saudi Arabia executed a man for offenses he committed when he was still under 18 years old, as advocated by human rights organizations, although the kingdom insists it has abolished death penalty for many crimes committed by minors.

Mustafa Hashem al-Darwish was arrested in May 2015 and was charged with offenses related to his involvement in protest rallies. He allegedly committed many of these when he was 17 years old. He was executed today in Dammam, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Interior, as broadcast by APE-MPE.

The Saudi authorities announced in March 2020 that they would stop imposing the death penalty on people who committed crimes when they were minors. Instead, they will be sentenced to up to 10 years in juvenile prison and the decision will have retroactive effect.

However, this royal decree was never broadcast by the state media, nor was it published in the official government newspaper, as is the usual practice. The State Commission for Human Rights told Reuters in February that the ban only applies to a category of crimes called “tazir” under Islamic law.

Execution of a man in Saudi Arabia: A photo on the receipts

Darwish was sentenced to death for such “tazir” offenses. The indictment, a copy of which came into the possession of Reuters, allegedly “participated in an armed uprising”, “sought to disrupt security through riots” and “sowed discord”, among others.

The evidence included a photo deemed “offensive to security forces” and a signed confession that he took part in more than ten “riots” in 2011 and 2012. But the documents do not specify the months in which the crimes and human rights organizations were committed. claim that Darwish was 17 years old at the time he allegedly committed many of these. His case should therefore be reviewed under the new law.

The Reprieve organization that fights for abolition of the death penalty and Amnesty International said it had revoked his confession in court., saying that she was tortured.

According to Reprieve, Darwish’s family was not informed of the impending execution and was informed of the news on the internet.

“How can they execute a boy for a photo on his phone? After his arrest we experience only pain. “Life is lifeless for the whole family,” his relatives said in a statement.

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