YEMEN : The Parliament of Children appealed to president Ali Abdllah Saleh, head of the High Judiciary Council and Minister of Justice to stop a death penalty against the juvenile child Walid Haikal.
In their petition, members of the Children Parliament said Walid was only 15 years when he committed the crime.
“We appeal to you to mercifully and fairly look to this case according to international conventions, especially the children right convention, which Yemen has signed,” said the petition. It said the convention disallows the execution of a child under 18 years.
The trial of Walid Haikal, convicted of a murder crime, lasted seven years, according to the petition.
This brings the total on children worldwide known to face execution to 80: 74 in Iran, 3 in Saudi Arabia, 2 in Sudan, 1 in Yemen, all Islamic countries.
Source: Yemen News http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.asp?sub_no=3_2007_07_25_6771