{"id":28744,"date":"2019-08-22T19:34:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T19:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/?p=28744"},"modified":"2019-10-12T17:05:43","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T17:05:43","slug":"justice-for-murtaja-qureiris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/justice-for-murtaja-qureiris\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice for Murtaja Qureiris"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Murtaja Qureiris, now 18, faces the death penalty for participating in a series of peaceful protests which trace back to when he was 10 years old. He was arrested in September 2014 at the age of 13 for his involvement in the bicycle protests in Saudi Arabia’s<\/a> eastern province, Qatif province along with a group of young boys. This article will reveal the facts behind Murtaja Qureiris arrest and the conditions that he\u2019s been subjected to, the current national and international laws in place and how there is a clear conflict of laws in Saudi Arabia, how Saudi Arabia can rectify it broken legal system and call to action to stop the unlawful killing of Murtaja Qureiris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is appalling that Murtaja Qureiris is facing execution for\noffences that include taking part in protests while he was just 10 years old.\u201d\nAmnesty International\u2019s Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf (Amnesty\nInternational, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CNN published videos of Mr Qureiris leading a crowd of other children at a bike protest in 2011. He was 10 at the time. It was the height of the Arab Spring uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa<\/a>, and protests had engulfed the largely Shiite eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Those protests often ended in bloodshed or mass arrests. (Specia, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group was calling for more rights for Saudi Arabia\u2019s Shia\nminority. It was one of the many expressions of political dissent by Shia\nMuslims across Saudi Arabia during the Arab Spring.\n(Loomes, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights\n(ESOHR), he had been arrested since 20 September 2014 by workers at the King\nFahd Causeway when he was on his way with members of his family to say goodbye\nto his traveling father. There was no prior summons, and the causeway employee\nsimply mentioned that he was wanted by the Mabahith, without explaining the\nlegal justifications or showing the arrest warrant. (European Saudi\nOrganisation for Human Rights, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the period of investigation, Murtaja was subjected to coercion and deception by the interrogators. He remained in solitary confinement for a month, during which he was tortured and beaten, and he was also promised repeatedly that he would be released if he cooperated with the investigation and admitted the charges against him. The observation homes are not considered a safe place for children because torture and cruel and degrading treatment are practiced there, as well as allegations of employees committing sexual crimes against the children. (European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May 2017, after Saudi Arabia promised to release him, Murtaja was\ntransferred to a notorious Mabahith prison for adults, even though he was only\n16 at the time. Mabahith prisons are known in Saudi Arabia for their routine\nuse of torture and inhuman treatment. (European Saudi Organisation for Human\nRights, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murtaja has been deprived of most of his basic rights. Most notably,\nhe was completely denied access to any legal support or counsel for nearly four\nyears after his arrest, and he was not permitted to do so until after his trial\nbegan. During his first court hearing in August 2018, the Prosecutor-General\ncharged him with a mixture of charges. Some of the charges concerned his\nparticipation in demonstrations and forms of protest such as shouting demands\nfor rights or expressing political opinions, while others involved broad\ncharges such as provoking sectarian strife, terrorism, and riots. (European\nSaudi Organisation for Human Rights, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National and international law<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n