Saudi Court Ratifies Death Sentence of 14 Activists from Qatif as Awamia Siege Continues
Local Editor
In parallel with the regime's crackdown against the Saudi eastern province of al-Qatif, the Supreme Court in Riyadh ratified death penalty for 14 activists from the province over alleged charges of taking part in protests in 2011.
Human rights sources reported that the suspects were not able even to appoint lawyers, noting that all their confessions were under torture and abuse.
The execution warrant needs the king's approval before being implemented.
In this respect, some families of the political prisoners said their sons attended confidential trials, stressing that the sentences were based on forced confessions.
Meanwhile, the Saudi regime forces have been attacking the Shiite town of Awamiyah since May 10, after putting it under a siege, in the wake of the residents' protesting the demolition of the historic al-Mosawara neighborhood for an alleged ‘development' project.
Peaceful demonstrations erupted in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province in February 2011, with protesters demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners and an end to widespread discrimination against people of the oil-rich region.
Several people have been martyred and many others have been injured or arrested during the demonstrations.
International rights bodies, including Amnesty International, repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia for its grim human rights record, arguing that the number of executions in the country has dramatically risen in the last years.
Source: Al-Ahed News, Agencies
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