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| Murtaza's before and after pictures tell his story ... He was a child when he was arrested, but now, eight years later, he is a bearded young man. |
Human rights activists say Saudi Arabia has released a 13-year-old prisoner arrested on suspicion of involvement in anti-government protests and held without charge for several years. went.
The prosecution has been demanding the death sentence for Murtaza Qureshi, but he was eventually sentenced to 12 years in prison.
He was arrested in 2014 (at the age of 10) for allegedly participating in protests during the Arab Spring.
Qureshi is believed to be the youngest prisoner to be detained for allegedly participating in a political demonstration.
A video shows him riding a bicycle with other children in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where Shia Muslims are the majority and Murtaza belongs to the Shia sect.
Shiites, who make up the majority of Sunni Muslims in the country, have long complained of being discriminated against and treated as second-class citizens.
The uprisings in other Arab countries also encouraged Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority, who took to the streets to protest against Saudi officials.
But security forces cracked down on the insurgency and arrested scores of protesters during and after the protests, who were later hanged.
Human rights groups say Murtaza Qureshi has been detained for several years without charge.
Pictures of Murtaza before and after tell his story. He was a child when he was arrested, but now, eight years later, he is a bearded young man.
When Murtaza was finally tried, he was accused of belonging to an extremist terrorist group. He was accused of supporting his older brother, who allegedly threw a petrol bomb at a police station. The prosecution demanded the death sentence for the youngest prisoner.
Human rights activists feared Murtaza could be hanged.
A confessional statement was presented as evidence on the occasion, about which Murtaza told the court that he had been forced to sign the confession.
The trial of such a young prisoner in Saudi Arabia has attracted the attention of international human rights organizations, perhaps leading to his death sentence instead of the death penalty.
Murtaza was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison, which was later reduced to eight years. Time passed, and the 13-year-old boy, who went to prison, was released and was expected to be released soon.
Human rights activists have welcomed the decision to release him, but have also expressed concern about the physical and mental condition of a child who has been in custody for so many years, especially in fear of the death penalty.
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| In March this year, 81 people were executed in a single day in Saudi Arabia. International human rights groups say many convicted in Saudi Arabia do not have the right to a fair trial |
In 2020, a royal decree was issued in Saudi Arabia, according to which the death penalty was abolished if the accused was a minor at the time of the crime.
But human rights groups are concerned that this may not be possible in practice.
In March this year, 81 people were executed in a single day in Saudi Arabia.
International human rights groups say many people convicted in Saudi Arabia do not have the right to a fair trial. The Saudi government denies the allegations.
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia has the fifth highest number of executions in the world. According to the international human rights organization Amnesty International, the countries with the highest number of executions include Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Egypt and Iraq.
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