Saudi Arabia is about to execute Ali al-Nimr, a young man arrested in 2012 for taking part in a demonstration when he was just 17 years old. Amnesty International confirmed that Ali al-Nimr and two other young Shi’a activists were moved to solitary confinement in al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh on October 5.

Ali was allegedly tortured. He has claimed that he signed a confession under duress, and was denied the right to a lawyer when charges were first brought against him. His lawyer was not informed of court hearings. The signed “confession” is the only evidence against him.

In sentencing Ali, a juvenile offender, to death, Saudi Arabia has violated its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which bans capital punishment for people under 18.

Continue reading →