Critics of the regime say he is innocent of the charges and is really being killed because of his closeness with his outspoken uncle Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr who was also sentenced to death in 2014.
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Lawyers now fear Mr al-Nimr will be executed within days.
His sentence of “death by crucifixion” was originally handed down on May 27, 2014, and the fight to clear his name has continued, but according to Reprive, Al-Nimr’s family found out last week his final appeal had been heard in secret and dismissed.
Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in February 2012 and accused of taking part in anti-government protests and illegally possessing firearms.
Furthermore, he was tortured to extract a confession and was not invited to or informed about an “appeal” against his death sentence.
“Any judgment imposing the death penalty upon persons who were children at the time of the offense, and their execution, are incompatible with Saudi Arabia’s global obligations”, the group said on Tuesday. Sheikh is awaiting his own execution this Thursday. He was reportedly subjected to torture and ill treatment by the General Investigation Directorate which forced him to confess the charges against him.
Meanwhile, the internet is protesting against the planned execution, under the hashtag #FreeNimr. “British complicity in gross abuses such as these is unacceptable and has to stop”, Maya Foa, Director of the death penalty team at Reprieve said. Many activists feel that his execution is more of a plan and an act of revenge as Ali Nimr’s uncle was a staunchly against the government and openly rebelled against the rulers. It was part of the kingdom’s crackdown on anti-government protests in the Qatif province, though it’s unclear how involved al-Nimr was in the demonstrations. However, the trials failed to meet global standards.
Despite global condemnation, the Saudi government has continued to carry out executions at a high rate since King Salman came to power in January 2015.
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The case has caused massive criticism internationally after Saudi Arabia’s United Nations ambassador was appointed chair of an independent panel of experts at the UN Human Rights Council in June.
