The Union Internationale des Avocats condemns plans to execute Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr

The Union Internationale des Avocats (International Association of Lawyers - UIA), which is opposed to the death penalty, strongly condemns the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s plans to execute Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr.

The UIA calls on the Saudi authorities to halt the scheduled execution. Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 at the age of 17, is accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation, ostensibly on the grounds that he took part in anti-government protests.

On 27 May 2014, the Special Criminal Court in Jeddah sentenced him to death. According to UN experts, he was not permitted access to a lawyer under normal conditions either before or during his trial.

His appeal process also apparently fell short of international standards, which, in particular, prohibit capital punishment for persons who were under 18 at the time of the events for which they are standing trial.

As the appeal was rejected in the last few days, Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr can be executed at any time. 

The Union Internationale des Avocats, which is particularly concerned by the state of civil rights and liberties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and which has spoken out in support of the blogger Raif Badawi and his lawyer Waleed Abu Al Khair, calls on all States and in particular Saudi Arabia’s allies to remind Saudi Arabia of its commitments to uphold fundamental rights.