URGENT ACTION  

According to the newspaper Okaz, Saudi Arabian national Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai’ i was sentenced to death for an alleged 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 When this happens, the death sentence is rescinded and the offender if often released.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.

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.

The number of executions of adults in Saudi Arabia in 2007 is already double the total executions in 2006. . (76 executions in 2007 so far). Saudi regime execution are performed by beheading in public using a sword.

SCE campaign condemns the imminent execution of  Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai’I, who was a child at the time of the alleged offence. Stop Child Executions Campaign remind Saudi Arabian Regime 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, pointing out that the execution of children is expressly prohibited by the CRC to which Saudi Arabia is a state party.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send 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

COPY TO : EMBASSY OF SAUDI ARABIA IN YOUR COUNTRY

IN USA:
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@saudiembassy.net