Ali Mohammed al-Nimr: Family say Saudi juvenile offender could be beheaded imminently after he is moved by jail
Al-Nimr has been moved to solitary confinement
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Your support makes all the difference.Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a young man sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for crimes he committed as a child, has been relocated by jailors in a move that could mean his execution is imminent.
The family of Mr al-Nimr, whose case has been raised by both Jeremy Corbyn and later David Cameron, said he has now been transferred to solitary confinement.
An appeal against his sentence was rejected by Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court last month, and all family visits and prison calls have been cancelled. Mr al-Nimr’s mother and father fear that his beheading and crucifixion could take place within days.
“We are worried about him, we are not allowed visits, there is no way of communicating," his father told The Times. "The government have not given us any explanations for this transfer. There is no department within the state that we can appeal to directly, we fear they will do it any day now."
Mr al-Nimr was sentenced to death for his involvement in anti-government protests when he was 16 or 17 years old. The young man’s case has been the subject of fervent campaigning from rights groups including Amnesty International and Reprieve, who say he was tortured and forced to sign a false confession before being sentenced to “death by crucifixion”. They have continued to argue that to behead and crucify someone arrested as a juvenile is "indefensible".
Mr al-Nimr’s mother, Nusra al-Ahmed, has claimed she has seen the evidence of the torture, with scars on his forehand and broken and missing teeth.
His family believe the sentence could be linked to the fact they are part of the Shia minority. He had joined a protest appealing for equal rights for Shias in Saudi Arabia, during a wave of demonstrations three years ago. Mr al-Nimr’s family have claimed that he is being referred to as “that Shia boy” and not as a Saudi citizen, potentially highlighting a sectarian element to this case.
Under international law, countries are not allowed to sentence under-18s to death - but Saudi law allows anyone under the age of 18 to be tried and given the death penalty if they show physical signs of puberty.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been vocal about the case and demanded that David Cameron intervenes. Mr Corbyn has written to the Prime Minister, urging him to use his influence to "prevent a grave injustice". Mr Nimr’s family have also appealed to David Cameron, Barack Obama and King Salman in the hope of halting the execution.
Since January there have been 135 executions in Saudi Arabia, with beheading the most common method. Sentences are frequently carried out in public to serve as a deterrent to others.
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