Hussein Abu al-Khair, father of eight children, was arrested in 2014 for “amphetamine trafficking”. The sentence was carried out without even notifying the family. NGOs and activists fought for his release, speaking of his “patently unfair” trial. The shadows over bin Salman’s reformist policies.
Riyadh () – Saudi Arabia has executed a Jordanian immigrant, sentenced to death for alleged drug trafficking and after a confession was extracted – according to the man’s family – by force and torture. The latest to fall into the hands of the executioner is Hussein Abu al-Khair, 57, father of eight children and employed as a driver for a wealthy businessman, victim of a controversial trial and for whose release several international activist NGOs had campaigned. The man was stopped and arrested for “amphetamine trafficking” in 2014, when he was crossing the border between the Hashemite and Wahhabi kingdoms.
The trial, which ended with the death penalty, was described as “extremely unfair” by activists and NGOs such as Amnesty International. Sister Zeinab Abul Al-Khair said in a telephone conversation that during the confession, Hussein was hung by his feet and severely beaten. “I would never have imagined – added the woman – that words extracted by force could be used in court.”
The execution casts new shadows on Saudi Arabia’s progress and the royal family’s concessions on freedoms and rights. On the contrary, last November the authorities announced the end of the moratorium on the death penalty for crimes related to drug trafficking or consumption. And in just two weeks the authorities executed at least 17 men for these types of crimes.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had stated that Abu al-Khair’s imprisonment had no legal basis. Late last year the UN Human Rights Office had called for him to be released, stating that the death penalty for drug offenses is contrary to international law. Reprieve activists add that the Saudi authorities had not even warned the relatives of the impending execution, denying them even the chance to say goodbye.
“Instead of condemning the crown prince, world leaders are lining up to shake his bloodstained hands. Today’s atrocities and others like them are the inevitable result [de estas políticas]. When partners tell you that the Saudi regime can kill without consequence, you can be sure that [el régimen] it will,” said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve. For the Saudi Interior Ministry, the execution of Hussein Abu al-Khair confirms Riyadh’s commitment “to fight against all kinds of drugs” that cause “serious harm to the individual and to society.”
Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), famous for his “reformist” vision of the kingdom in a liberal and modern key, came to power, Riyadh has almost doubled executions. Figures backed by a report published last month by the same Reprieve activists, who speak of the intensive use of the executioner and the practice of mass executions. The use of capital punishment has doubled since 2015, with more than 1,000 people executed in seven years, confirming a trend that began with the rise of number two after King Salman.
