Tag Archives: other countries

13 year old girl stoned to death in Somalia

Source: Amnesty International

A girl stoned to death in Somalia this week was 13 years old, not 23,
contrary to earlier news reports. She had been accused of adultery in
breach of Islamic law.

Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was killed on Monday 27 October, by a group of 50
men in a stadium in the southern port of Kismayu, in front of around
1,000 spectators. Somali journalists who had reported she was 23 have
told Amnesty International that they judged her age by her physical
appearance.

Inside the stadium, militia members opened fire when some of the
witnesses to the killing attempted to save her life, and shot dead a boy
who was a bystander. An al-Shabab spokeperson was later reported to have
apologized for the death of the child, and said the militia member would
be punished.

At one point during the stoning, Amnesty International has been told by
numerous eyewitnesses that nurses were instructed to check whether Aisha
Ibrahim Duhulow was still alive when buried in the ground. They removed
her from the ground, declared that she was, and she was replaced in the
hole where she had been buried for the stoning to continue.
 
Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was accused of adultery, but sources told Amnesty
International that she had in fact been raped by three men, and had
attempted to report this rape to the al-Shabab militia who control
Kismayo. It was this act that resulted in her being accused of adultery
and detained. None of men she accused of rape were arrested.

She was detained by militia of the Kismayo authorities, a coalition of
Al-shabab and clan militias. During this time, she was reportedly
extremely distressed, with some individuals stating she had become
mentally unstable.

Source
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/child-of+-13-stoned-to-death-in-somalia-20081031
 
Related article: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDlw7zYhGCUujV64GSv-BEJdMkFg

URGENT CALL: Stop beheading Canadian boy in Saudi Arabia

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
 PUBLIC                                                                                                                                 AI Index: MDE 23/037/2008           
                                                                                                                                                                               14 August 2008
Further information on UA 116/07 (MDE 23/019/2007, 17 May 2007), and follow-ups (MDE 23/030/2007, 2 August 2007; MDE 23/016/2008, 31 March 2008; MDE 23/012/2008, 8 April 2008) – Death Penalty/ Fear of imminent execution
SAUDI ARABIA                             Mohamed Kohail (m), aged 23, Canadian national
                                                                 Mehanna Sa’d (m), aged 22, Jordanian national
                                                                Sultan Kohail (m), aged 17, Canadian national



On 9 August, the Jeddah General Court, which sentenced Canadian national Mohamed Kohail and Jordanian national Mehanna Sa’d to

death, rejected the recommendations of the Court of Cassation to review their sentences. The case has now been passed back to the Court of Cassation, who could pass it back to the General Court for review again or uphold the sentences. If upheld, the death sentences would be passed to the Supreme Judicial Council for approval. The two men could be executed within weeks.

Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d were charged with the murder of a Syrian boy, who died in a schoolyard brawl in January 2007. They were held incommunicado for approximately one and a half months, and beaten in an attempt to make them confess. Their trial before the General Court took place over nine sessions. Their lawyer was allowed to attend only the last one or two, and was not allowed to challenge the evidence brought against his clients. They were sentenced to death in March 2008, and launched an appeal against the sentences, which have failed.  
Sultan Kohail, who was arrested with the two others, was sentenced to 200 lashes and one year’s imprisonment by the Jeddah Summary Court in April 2008. The case was then passed to the Court of Cassation, which recommended that the case be re-tried by a General Court, which has the power to pass the death sentence against him. His case is now awaiting retrial at a General Court.
A new trial date has not yet been set but Amnesty International has previously expressed concern that if the case was to be re-tried at a General Court, Sultan Kohail could be sentenced to death. As he is 17 years old, sentencing him to death would violate Saudi Arabia’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the execution of those under 18 at the time of the crime.   

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, including offences with no lethal consequences, and does so following trials which invariably fall short of the most basic international standards. Hearings are often held in secret, and defendants are permitted barely any formal legal representation. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded.
The number of executions in 2008 is increasing fast. In 2007 the authorities executed at least 158 people, of whom 76 were foreign nationals. At least 66 people have been executed so far this year, almost half of whom have been foreign nationals.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Arabic or your own language:

– urging the King to commute the death sentences of Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d;
– reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, in particular the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, which guarantee adequate opportunity for defence and appeal, and prohibits the imposition of the death penalty when there is room for alternative interpretation of the evidence;
– expressing concern that 17-year-old Sultan Kohail may still be at risk of being sentenced to death and asking the authorities to guarantee that this will not happen, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
 APPEALS TO:
Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.
His Majesty 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
Fax:                        (via Ministry of the Interior) +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
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:                        +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
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:                         +966 1 403 0645
Salutation:          Your Royal Highness

COPIES TO:

Mr Turki bin Khaled Al-Sudairy
President
Human Rights Commission
PO Box 58889, Riyadh 11515
King Fahad Road, Building No.373
 Riyadh
 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax:                        +966 1 4612061
and to diplomatic representatives of Saudi Arabia, accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 24 September 2008.

Montreal Juvenile faces beheading in Saudi Arabia

Craig Offman      Canada.com

An overturned court decision in Saudi Arabia has a Montreal teenager facing execution for his alleged role in murder case that already has put his brother on death row. Sultan Kohail, 18, and his older brother Mohamed were both implicated in the death of a Syrian student following a brawl in the Red Sea port city of Jidda last year.
The setback for the younger Kohail comes after he appealed his initial sentence of 200 lashes and a year in prison.

Rather than commuting the original verdict, the appeal court ruled that Kohail should instead be tried as an adult, leaving open the possibility of a public beheading.
“Transferring Sultan Kohail’s case to an adult court is very troubling given the possibility of him receiving the death penalty,” said Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who along with several Conservative cabinet members have lobbied kingdom officials for clemency.

Sultan remains free and is living with his family in Jidda, his uncle Abdul Rauf said Wednesday in a phone interview from Jidda. Sultan is depressed and is spending a lot of time at home, Rauf said.

“It’s something hard for him,” Rauf said.

The boy’s father Ali Kohail, also in Jidda, said the family is pinning their hopes on yet another appeal to a higher court.

“We could hear something in 15 days,” the weary-sounding Kohail said. “We are working very hard with our lawyer but I don’t know what will happen.”
The two suspects, of Palestinian extraction, have maintained their innocence and insist that the Saudi courts have not afforded them a fair hearing. Alleging that they were forced to make confessions of guilt, they insist that they were nowhere near the victim, a Syrian expatriate named Munzer Al-Hiraki, when he sustained the injuries that led to his death.
In January 2007, a schoolyard fight broke out after a girl’s male cousin accused Sultan of insulting her. Sultan, 16 at the time, said he asked Mohamed for help when he was confronted by several boys over the remark. At some point, a stone fence either toppled on to Al-Hiraki or his face was bashed into it, events which led to the brothers’ arrest.
Since the initial convictions, Mohamed Kohail, 23, has only had a little more luck than his younger sibling.

Sentenced to a public execution last March after a 90-minute trial that included few if any witnesses, Kohail has unsuccessfully appealed his case twice, and according to McTeague’s office, he is on this third attempt.
The appellate court also has the power to take over the case from the lower court but has so far refused. Still, McTeague sees the judicial back and forth as an encouraging sign, suggesting that appellate court refuses to uphold the lower court’s rulings.
Ali Al Ahmed, an expert on Saudi affairs who is director of the Gulf Institute in Washington, D.C., sees a bigger invisible hand in the legal process. “Usually after a sentence is done, it’s done. Period. But the implication in Sultan’s case is that there is some pressure applied, and it seems to come from the murdered man’s family.”
Al Ahmed said that the victim’s family comes from a well-to-do, influential Syrian family that claims it can trace its roots to the Prophet Muhammad. The Saudis, he added, often apply the legal terms of minor and adult liberally, with children as young as 11 facing execution. 
The sudden reversal suggests a deliberate intention to pursue the death sentence, he said. “This is what they are aiming for. Otherwise, why change things?” The Kohail family immigrated to Canada from Saudi Arabia in 2000, settling in Quebec.

Six years later, they returned to Jidda, where they run a furniture business but did not have status as Saudi citizens.

To read more about Sultan visit:
http://scenews.blog.com/2961086/
http://scenews.blog.com/2949314/
http://scenews.blog.com/1828693/
http://scenews.blog.com/1820801/

European Union strongly condemns Iran’s new parliamentary bill

Application of the death penalty in Iran (July 18, 2008)

 Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union

 

The European Union is deeply concerned by the news of the public execution of ten Iranians during the week beginning 7 July 2008 alone. It is also worried about the parliamentary bill to extend the range of offences carrying the death penalty, in particular to include the establishment of websites disturbing the “psychological security of society”, as it is worded. The bill makes a disproportionate link between the acts committed and the penalty imposed and sets out to brutally restrict the exercise of freedom of expression. Being firmly committed to universal abolition of the death penalty, the EU strongly condemns its application in Iran and the parliamentary bill.

The European Union reaffirms its opposition to capital punishment under any circumstances. The death penalty offends human dignity. There is also no irrefutable evidence that it has any deterrent effect, while any miscarriage of justice in its use is irreversible and irreparable. The Iranian authorities have doubled the number of executions from 2006 to 2007, without achieving anything but a worsening crime rate.

The European Union urges Iran to respect international human rights standards, put an immediate stop to all executions and introduce a moratorium with the aim of abolishing the death penalty, in accordance with the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2007. It calls on the Iranian parliament to withdraw its bill and support a thorough overhaul of judicial practice, making for more lenient sentences.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

Finland summons Iran over executions of minors

AFP

HELSINKI – Finland summoned Iran’s ambassador in Helsinki Tuesday to express concern over Tehran’s execution of a juvenile offender and its plans to execute three others, the foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb summoned ambassador Reza Nazarahari to appeal to Iran “not to implement the executions planned” of three people sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors, the ministry said in a statement.
In the meeting with Nazarahari, “Minister Stubb stated that Finland strongly deplores executions of minors,” the ministry said, pointing out that Iran executed a man earlier this month for crimes committed before he was 18.
“Sentencing minors to death is unambiguously forbidden by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and by the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, both of which have been ratified by Iran,” the ministry statement said.
The European Union and international human rights groups have also urged Tehran to stop issuing the death penalty for crimes committed by minors.

Eurpoean Union presidency asks Iran to halt imminent Execution of Behnoud Shojaee

The Presidency of the European Union is deeply concerned by the news of the imminent execution of Behnoud Shojaee, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a crime committed when he was a minor.

The Presidency notes that this juvenile death sentence is in direct contravention of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s international obligations and commitments, specifically as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both clearly prohibiting the execution of minors or people who have been convicted of crimes committed when they were minors.

The Presidency urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with International Law and to immediately halt the execution of Mr Shojaee and of all other juvenile offenders on the death row, taking in consideration alternative sentences for juvenile offenders and respect for international norms and standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty.

The Presidency avails of this opportunity to reiterate the European Union’s longstanding position against the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of what crimes have been committed by the individuals concerned. The EU considers the death penalty to be a cruel and inhuman punishment and that it is not effective in terms of deterrence.

The Presidency again urges the Iranian authorities to immediately cease all executions and apply a moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty, as called for in the United Nations General Assembly resolution on a Moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as adopted in December 2007.

URGENT CALL: More Juveniles facing death senetence in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian authorities intend to execute or to flog seven youth offenders who were forced to confess under torture.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 23/019/2008
3 April 2008
UA 86/08
Death Penalty/Flogging

SAUDI ARABIA
Sultan Bin Khalid Bin Mahmud al-Maskati (m), aged 23
Yusef Bin Hassan Bin Salman al-Muwallad (m), aged 23
Qassim Bin ‘Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Nakhli (m), aged 22
Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad (m), aged 20   
‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad (m), aged 20, Chadian national
Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad (m), aged 19
Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir (m), aged 17, Chadian national

The seven people named above, four of them juvenile offenders, are facing execution or flogging. Their case is now before the Court of Cassation in Mekkah, for a review in which they will have no input, and which will take place in secret. When this is concluded, if their sentences are upheld, they will be passed to the King for ratification, after which those sentenced to death could be executed within days.

They were accused of being members of a gang that carried out a series of robberies and assaults in Madina. They were arrested in 2004 and charged with several counts of theft, robbery and physical assault. They were held incommunicado at police stations in Madina, where they were allegedly beaten in an attempt to make them confess. In February 2008, Madina General Court sentenced five of them to death, the first five listed above, and two to “severe flogging” and imprisonment. Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad and Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir, who were 15 and 13 respectively at the time of the offences, are to receive 1,500 and 1,250 severe lashes respectively, administered in instalments at 10-day intervals in public at the scene of the offences, in addition to terms of imprisonment. (SCE : Due to number of lashes and their severity, the verdicts can also result in their death)

Saudi Arabia is a state party to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which expressly prohibits the use of punishments such as flogging.

Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were both 17 years old. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, including offences with no lethal consequences, and does so following trials which invariably fall short of the most basic international standards. Hearings are often held in secret, and defendants are permitted barely any formal legal representation. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be told when they are to be executed until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded. In 2007 the authorities executed at least 158 people, of whom 76 were foreign nationals. At least 37 people, of whom 13 were foreign nationals, have been executed so far this year.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:


Using your own words, please choose a few of the suggestions below to create a personal appeal and send it as quickly as possible:

– expressing concern that Sultan Bin Khalid Bin Mahmud al-Maskati, Yusef Bin Hassan Bin Salman al-Muwallad, Qassim Bin ‘Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Nakhli, Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa Bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentenced to death for crimes with no lethal consequences, and that two of them were under 18 at the time of the crimes of which they were convicted;
– expressing concern that Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentence to flogging, a cruel and inhuman form of punishment, for crimes committed when they were under 18;
– reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, in particular the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, which guarantee adequate opportunity for defence and appeal, and prohibit the imposition of the death penalty when there is room for alternative interpretation of the evidence;
– urging the King to commute the death sentences, especially those of juvenile offenders Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
– calling for the sentences of flogging against Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad and Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir to be commuted to a humane punishment, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

APPEALS TO:

Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.

His Majesty 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
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1403 1185 (may be difficult o reach)
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 1403 1185 (may be difficult o reach)
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 1403 0645
Salutation: Your Royal Highness

COPIES TO:

Mr Turki bin Khaled Al-Sudairy
President, Human Rights Commission
PO Box 58889, Riyadh 11515
King Fahad Road, Building No.373
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1461 2061

His Excellency Abdulaziz H.I. ALSOWAYEGH
Ambassador for Saudi Arabia
201 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1K6
Fax: (613) 237-0567

PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS WITHOUT DELAY.

17 year old Canadian saved from execution in Saudi Arabia

Source: AM 940 Montreal

17 year old Sultan Kohail was sentenced to 1 year in a Saudi prison and 200 lashes for his part in the death of a young man following a schoolyard brawl. Sultan’s 22 year old brother – Mohammed has already been sentenced to be beheaded for his role in the fight. Mohammed’s lawyers are appealing his sentence.

Sultan Kohail had been out on bail after spending eight months in custody for his involvement in a school yard brawl in Jeddah that contributed to the accidental death of Mr. Monzer Heraki.

“Today’s ruling by the youth court judge is significantly lesser than the death sentence imposed on Sultan’s brother, Muhammad, and their friend, Muhanna Masoud on March 3, 2008 for the same incident”, said Mr. Mahmoud Al-Ken.

“It is important to recognize that this decision was primaily the result of the judge permitting a vigorous cross-examination of the prosecutors’ witnesses”, added Mr. Al-Ken.

“This is one of the reasons why Mohammed Kohail is appealing his death sentence. It is hoped that the judges hearing the appeal will see that Mohammed and Muhanna did not receive this vital component of due process and order the initial trial court to re-open the case. The court must hear testimony from both sides and permit full cross-examination”, concluded Mr. Al-Ken.

To read more about Sultan visit the following articles and urgent calls :
http://scenews.blog.com/2949314/
http://scenews.blog.com/1828693/
http://scenews.blog.com/1820801/

URGENT CALL: Saudi boy facing execution

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 23/016/2008
UPDATE
31 March 2008

Further information on UA 116/07 (MDE 23/019/2007, 17 May 2007) and follow-up (MDE 23/030/2007, 2 August 2007) – Death Penalty / Fear of imminent execution

SAUDI ARABIA

Mohamed Kohail (m), aged 23, Canadian national
Sultan Kohail (m), aged 17, Canadian national

New name:      Mehanna Sa’d (m), aged 22, Jordanian national

A Jordanian national, Mehanna Sa’d, is now known to have been sentenced to death together with Canadian national Mohamed Kohail. Both men have appealed; if their appeals are rejected they will be in imminent danger of execution. Mohamed Kohail’s 17-year-old brother, Sultan, is also at risk of being sentenced to death.

Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d were charged with the murder of a Syrian boy, who died in a schoolyard brawl in January 2007. They were sentenced to death in March 2008 after proceedings which reportedly fell short of international fair trial standards. They were first held incommunicado for approximately a month and a half, and beaten in an attempt to make them confess. Their trial before the Jeddah General Court took place over nine sessions. Their lawyer was allowed to attend only the last one or two, and was not allowed to challenge the evidence brought against his clients.

Sultan Kohail, who was arrested with his brother Mohamed and Mehanna Sa’d, was released on bail and is said to be facing trial before Jeddah Summary Court. This court does not have the power to impose the death penalty. However, Sultan is due to face murder charges, and could be referred to the General Court, where he could be sentenced to death, even though he is 17 years old. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and so has undertaken not to execute anyone for crimes committed when they were under 18.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION


Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, including offences with no lethal consequences, and does so following trials which invariably fall short of the most basic international standards. Hearings are often held in secret, and defendants are permitted barely any formal legal representation. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded.

The number of executions in 2008 is increasing fast. In 2007 the authorities executed at least 158 people, of whom 76 were foreign nationals. At least 37 people, of whom 13 were foreign nationals, have been executed since 8 January 2008.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Arabic, English or your own language:

– calling on the authorities to ensure that in their appeal Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d are able to address the irregularities of their trial and death sentence in fair and transparent hearings;
– reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, in particular the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, which guarantee adequate opportunity for defence and appeal, and prohibits the imposition of the death penalty when there is room for alternative interpretation of the evidence;
– urging the King to commute the death sentences if they are upheld on appeal;
– expressing concern that 17-year-old Sultan Kohail may still be at risk of being sentenced to death and asking the authorities to guarantee that this will not happen, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

APPEALS TO:

Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.

His Majesty 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
Fax:     (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (may be difficult to reach)
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 (may be difficult to reach)
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:

His Excellency Abdulaziz H.I. ALSOWAYEGH
Ambassador for  Saudi Arabia
201 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1K6
Fax: (613) 237-0567

Australian Senator supports Stop Child Executions Campaign

Australian Senator Andrew Bartlett have signed the Stop Child Executions petition. Senator Bartlet met the co-founder of the SCE Campaign Nazanin Afshin-Jam at a conference examining the human rights situation in China in the leadup to the Beijing Olympics. The conference was held in Taiwn.

15242. Senator Andrew Bartlett Australia Senator for Queensland

In his personal blog Senator Barlett wrote:  “One other interesting speaker at the conference was a woman from Canada named Nazanin Afshin-Jan. Unlike most of us at the conference, she was not a politician, a lawyer or an academic (although she is a graduate in international relations), which probably helped make her speech seem more focused on practically than some of the others. She is Iranian born, trained in the Canadian Air Force, and has used her profile as a former runner-up in Miss World and a singer and songwriter to campaign on human rights issues. One of her main campaigns is to stop child executions, although the main offender on that issue is Iran, not China, so she didn’t focus on that so much in her speech at this conference. She was also able to end her speech by showing a video of one of her songs , which was rather hard for the rest of us speakers to compete against.”

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and SCE Campaign greatly appreciate Senator Andrew Bartlett’s support of the Campaign to stop child executions in Iran and worldwide.

About Senator Andrew Barltlett:

Senator Bartlett  has been a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Queensland since 1997, representing the Australian Democrats. A consistent and vocal campaigner for refugees and asylum seekers, Senator Bartlett is the only Australian parliamentarian to have visited every refugee detention centre in Australia, as well as those on Christmas Island and Nauru (detention centres off the Australian mainland) where he went three times to meet with detainees. Mr. Bartlett has spoken many times on behalf of those living in poverty, as well as the physically and mentally disabled. He also takes a close interest in the environment and animal welfare. He was a strong opponent of Australia’s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.