Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh (MS)
Riyadh, Jun 16: In a surprise, a Saudi official has informed Reuters that a young man, belonging to the minority Shia community in Saudi Arabia, who was arrested when he was just 13, will not be executed and might even be released from prison in the year 2022.
Murtaja Qureiris was arrested in September 2014 and was given 12 years of imprisonment from the time of his arrest. Four years were suspended out of this, considering that he was a minor when he committed the crime. This was disclosed by an official who wanted to remain anonymous. The sentence is subject to appeal.
The official confirmed that the young man will not be executed.
Photo courtesy - Amnesty UK
As per the reports published this month by right groups, including Amnesty International, the lawyers had asked the court to award death penalty to the young man for even crimes that he committed as a young boy of 10 years.
Saudi Arabia has come under the scanner of human rights groups since the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi in October 2018. In addition, there is mounting international pressure on the kingdom also for the arrest of women's rights activists who are still on trial.
On Wednesday, the Austrian government informed that they are planning to shut the center for religious dialogue in the capital Vienna that is funded by Saudi Arabia after its parliament urged the government to prevent the execution of Qureiris.
37 men were beheaded in April 2019 in the Sunni-ruled Kingdom for crimes related to terrorism. The chief of human right of UN confirmed that most of them were from the minority Shia community and also suspected that they might not have had fair trials and three of them were minors when they committed the crime.
In its website Amnesty International published that the young Qureiris is kept in solitary confinement since his arrest and is being tortured and beaten during interrogation. However, the Saudi officials vehemently denied having any political prisoner in their custody and also said that the torture allegations were not true.
In 2011, unrest brewed in the Eastern province of the Kingdom, where the Shi'ite community is large in number. Demonstration against the monarchy was held and demand was made to end the social discrimination and also to make major reforms in the conservative monarchy system.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia says that these demonstrators are being supported by Saudi's arch rival Iran, where the Shi'ites are in majority. The authority in the kingdom also clarified that they do not discriminate with Shi'ites living in their country.
There is a possibility of escalation of unrest in the region after two oil tankers were attacked on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman. USA straightaway put the blame on Iran. However, Iran has denied that they have not played any part in the strikes on oil tankers that took place at south of Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for oil.
There are allegations on Qureiris that he had manufactured and used Molotov Cocktails in attacks that were carried out against the police and a pharmacy. The police have also alleged that the young man also used firearms as he was working for a terrorist organization.
The concerned Saudi official also said that Qureiris is one of the members of the gang that attacked a vehicle that belonged to German diplomat in the Qatif region in January. Though no one got injured in the said incident, the car was gutted in the fire.