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Saudi Arabia 'seeks death penalty' for female activist
[Al Jazeera] Soddy Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty  for five human rights...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... activists who are currently being tried by the country's terrorism tribunal, according to rights groups. Among the detainees is Israa al-Ghomgham, who Saudi activists say is the first woman to face capital punishment for human rights-related work. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Tuesday the charges against the activists "do not resemble recogniseable crimes" and include "incitement to protest", "chanting slogans hostile to the regime" and "providing moral support to rioters". Authorities have held the five activists, along with another not facing the death penalty, in pretrial detention without legal representation for more than two years. They are due to appear in court again on October 28, according to HRW. "Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW. ALQST, a UK-based group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia, previously reported the public prosecutor's decision on Twitter on Sunday. The rights group also denied social media reports that the detainees had already been executed, saying the case was "still under review." Posted by: Fred 2018-08-23 |
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