A 21-year old Saudi Arabian man is facing the death penalty.
Ali al-Nimr was 17 when he took part in Arab Spring demonstrations in Qatif in 2012. The government accused him of attacking police and being involved in a criminal organizations. His uncle, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric was also sentenced to death and faces execution at any time.
A group of United Nations human rights experts have urged the country to delay the execution of the younger Nimr, claiming he was coerced into confessing after being tortured. The Saudi Arabian government is also accused of not giving him a fair trial and preventing his lawyer from accessing case files.
And he was underage at the time.
If executed, Nimr will be beheaded and his body crucified for public view. Many are fearful of more protests from the minority Shiite community, if the punishment takes place.
The pending execution comes as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador the U.N., Faisal bin Hassan Trad was appointed to lead the United Nations Human Rights Council, even though the kingdom has a poor track record on human rights. They have also been cited for enforcing Sharia law. Saudi Arabia holds an execution every two days, on average, according the Amnesty International.
In the past, Saudi Arabia has ignored such criticism, claiming it will not allow interference in its system.
The British and U.S. governments are also coming under fire for failing to condemn the pending execution.
“It’s scandalous,” said U.N. Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, in a CNN interview. “Petro dollars and politics have trumped human rights.”
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