Unfortunately Hajras bin Saleh bin Muhammad al-Qurey was executed in September. We know no more details, but no further action has been indicated by Amnesty International.

The current surge in executions in Saudi Arabia was continuing unabated with 22 execution in the last three weeks. However, the scheduled execution of Hajras bin Saleh bin Muhammad al-Qurey on the 25th August did not take place.

The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia in 10 Shocking Facts

• More than 2,000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia between 1985 and 2013.
• At least 22 people were put to death between 4 and 22 August 2014 alone – more than one every day.
• The death penalty in Saudi Arabia is used in violation of international human rights law and standards. Trials in capital cases are often held in secret and defendants rarely have access to lawyers.
• People may be convicted solely on the basis of “confessions” obtained under torture, other ill-treatment or deception.
• Non-lethal crimes including “adultery”, armed robbery, “apostasy”, drug-related offences, rape, “witchcraft” and “sorcery” are punishable by death.
• Three people under 18 were executed in 2013, and so far in 2014 one has been sentenced to death, in blatant violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• In some cases, the relatives of those on death row are not notified of the executions in advance.
• Foreign nationals represent a disproportionate number of those executed, largely because of inadequate legal representation and translation support. Almost half of the 2,000 people executed between 1985 and 2013 were foreign nationals.
• People with mental disabilities are not spared the death sentence.
• Most executions are by beheading. Many take place in public. In some cases, decapitated bodies are left hanging in public squares as a “deterrent”.

“The use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia is so far removed from any kind of legal parameters that it is almost hard to believe.”

Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Hajras al-Qurey, 53, was sentenced to death on 16 January 2013 in the south-eastern city of Najran on drug-trafficking charges. He was arrested, together with his son Muhammad, on 7 January 2012 at the al-Khadra border crossing with Yemen, when customs officers suspected they were carrying drugs in their car. Muhammad was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.

Both men claim they were tortured during their interrogation and were denied access to legal representation until their trial. Hajras al-Qurey’s lawyer complained that the only evidence used by the prosecution to sentence his client was the coerced ‘confessions’, but the court dismissed his complaint.

This is an Urgent Action from Amnesty International. Please write letters to the addresses within the Urgent Action document. We have created two sample letters – with addresses to help.

Details of the urgent action are here Hajras al-Qurey UA
Sample letter one Hajras al-Qurey justice minister
Sample letter two Hajras al-Qurey king

Christchurch Street Collection

First, just a quick thanks to everyone who turned out last Saturday and endured the heat in Christchurch. We raised a few pence short of £150. Ted and May also raised £30 at “Muscliffe Fun Day”. Whilst our main purpose isn’t fundraising, with international letters now costing £1 we need an inflow of money to keep up the work we do.

Below is the latest update from our South American coordinators. This month they are highlighting two issues on which they would particularly like us to take action. The first relates to yet another threat to the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in Colombia. The second is a call to the President of Bolivia to take steps to put an end to impunity for human rights violations perpetrated during past military governments. They also draw our attention to another Urgent Action on Colombia and a report by another NGO about threats to human rights defenders in Peru.

They have started a new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/amnestyinternationaluksouthamerica, but they have a long way to go to match our page! https://www.facebook.com/aipbc

Colombia

On 21 July a member of the Colombian armed forces told an inhabitant of San José, who has close links with the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, that “the time has arrived for that son-of-a-bitch community, we are coordinating with the paramilitaries for the extermination of that son-of-a-bitch Peace Community”. On 19 July a local newspaper ran an article with statements from the new commander of the XVII Brigade (which has a grave human rights record) that the Brigade would do special work with the hamlets of San José de Apartadó to recuperate the space they had lost, alluding to the areas which make up the Peace Community. The Peace Community understands this as a further threat to exterminate them. Full details of the Urgent Action are here:
[Read more…]

As a local group we are signed up to the South America Region Network. Their coordinators focus specifically on the countries featured below and send us actions when they turn up.

In this update we focus on Brazil as we build up to the FIFA World Cup. We bring great news about an indigenous community in Paraguay. We report on the Colombian presidential elections, including letters sent to the 5 presidential candidates. We report on the continuing crisis in Venezuela. We remind you of the launch of the Stop Torture campaign on 14th May at the Human Rights Action Centre.

Brazil

This week sees the launch of the online yellow card action on Brazil to coincide with the FIFA World Cup. The UK petition is now live.   https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/brazil-protests-world-cup-rio-2014

The aim is to raise over 10,000 UK signatures with your help. We also supply an off-line petition where you can ask members of the public to sign. The lead up to the World Cup has prompted widespread protests and demonstrations in Brazil. By asking members of the public to sign the petition we send a message to the Brazilian government that protest is not a crime.

Please look out for Eric Cantona’s new documentary ‘Looking for Rio’. The UK premiere of former Manchester United legend Eric Cantona’s compelling new documentary about the passion and fury surrounding football in Rio de Janeiro will take place at Amnesty’s first ever football film festival, Sidelines, from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 June at Hackney Picturehouse, London just before the start of the World Cup in Brazil.

We are opening a new Brazil case file: Alexandre Anderson de Souza is the president of a fishermen’s association in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We hope to recruit several groups to work on it. If so, please contact Richard Crosfield. [Read more…]