Saudi Arabia to Execute 14 Year Old Egyptian Boy

A 14-year-old Egyptian boy faces execution in Saudi Arabia after a flawed trial in which he was convicted for the murder of another child, Human Rights Watch said today....Following a seriously flawed trial, Ahmad al-D. was sentenced to death in July for the murder of three-year old Wala' 'Adil 'Abd al-Badi' in Dammam in April 2004....Saudi Arabia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the capital punishment for offenses committed by individuals under 18 at the time of the crime and protects the rights of all children accused or convicted of crimes.

Saudi Arabia stated in its 2004 report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child that the "Islamic Shariah in force in the Kingdom never imposes capital punishment on persons who have not attained their majority" and that "a juvenile is defined under the Detention Regulation and the Juvenile Homes' Regulation of A.H. 1395 (1975) as every human being below the age of 18".

At every stage of the investigation, detention, trial and sentencing, the Saudi authorities violated Ahmad's due process rights and well as international legal protections for children. He had no legal assistance or representation during interrogation, detention and trial. Press and police accounts also throw into question his psychological stability during this period and his ability to participate in his own defense. He told the Saudi online newspaper al-Yaum al-Elektroni that he confessed only after police questioned him for the third time because "my strength dwindled and I lacked the capacity to refuse." He said that while in pre-trial solitary confinement for three months he "cried from fear and loneliness."

Although he was only 13 at the time of the murder, the court tried and sentenced Ahmad as an adult, based on its assessment of the coarseness of his voice and the appearance of pubic hair....At least four other persons are known to be facing death for crimes committed when they were children....The Saudi Law on Criminal Procedure in article 4 guarantees every defendant the right to a lawyer.