Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

Saudi Arabia Remains Adamant On The Beheading and Crucifixion Of Political Dissident

ali-mohammed-al-nimrWe previously discussed the truly bizarre scene of having Saudi Arabia sit on the UN Human Rights Council despite being one of the most infamous violators of human rights. As if to remind the world of the crushing irony, Saudi Arabia has issued a statement telling the world that it has no business objecting to the planned execution of a religious dissent. The Saudi Arabian embassy in the UK has denounced “any form of interference in its internal affairs” regarding the case of 21-year-old dissident Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who has been sentenced to death by beheading for engaging in pro-democracy protests.

Al-Nimr has been sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion in Saudi Arabia for simply taking part in anti-government protests in 2012. He was just 17. The case is the ultimate expression of the Kingdom’s medieval legal system, often imposing Sharia principles and punishments. Not only is the Kingdom imposing a barbaric sentence but killing a boy because he dared engage in free speech and free thought.

Al-Nimr is the nephew of a prominent Shia cleric and activist. The human rights organisation Reprieve says that Al-Nimr was forced to sign a confession under torture to attacking police, breaking allegiance to the king, setting up terror cells, rioting and robbing a pharmacy. The Sharia judge sentenced him to first beheaded and then his body crucified in public.

34 thoughts on “Saudi Arabia Remains Adamant On The Beheading and Crucifixion Of Political Dissident”

  1. I dream of the day when OPEC will lose all its customers – when ME oil will be supplanted with domestic and allied producers, eventually to be entirely supplanted with clean, renewable, cheap energy.

  2. Accidentally bombing a hospital is not the same thing as purposely killing innocent civilians, or executing political dissidents or homosexuals. It was especially tragic in that it involved Doctors Without Borders, an organization in which its members deliberately put themselves in harm’s way to treat and heal those in need. I honor those who serve in this organization, and grieve their loss. It was an accident that needs to be thoroughly investigated to ensure it never happens again.

    Some of our own soldiers are tragically lost to friendly fire. War is dangerous to all involved.

  3. Anyone who thinks the US is just as bad, needs to take a trip to Saudi Arabia. Once arriving, fling your arms out and shout, “I’m a gay Jew!” It will be a short trip.

    Once you’re in heaven, compare and contrast your experience saying the same phrase in the US and Saudi Arabia, and perhaps revisit the we’re-just-as-bad meme. Since you’ll be in heaven, you could probably have a debate with Ali, who I’m sure will have a very strong opinion on who was the worst human rights abuser, having been murdered by his own government for criticizing it.

    Or try criticizing our own government on our soil, and Saudi Arabia’s on theirs. Same result.

  4. Poor Ali. I always say that a country must change from within. It cannot be imposed from outside if we want lasting change. But look at what reformers face in the Kingdom.

    We are in bed with the devil in Saudi Arabia because it is one of the rare ME countries that does not oppose us in all things. They are fair weather allies, willing to let us keep strategic military bases there, crucial if and when the ME blows up against the West. We even allowed them to contract with American companies to design state of the art missile defense systems. This is the same reason we ignore the Turkish genocide against Armenians – we covet that military strategic position in Turkey.

    Saudi Arabia is quite like ISIS in many respects – extremist by definition against gays, women, apostates, and non believers. Tragically, extremist Islam is the norm, not the exception, everywhere that Sharia Law is practiced. It’s a shame, because moderate, modern Muslims coexist quite happily with all walks of life here in the US. I have known Muslims for whom their faith is a great source of strength and comfort, and who take the sword verses figuratively rather than literally. It doesn’t have to be this way in the ME, but I despair of positive change.

    I knew a moderate Muslim family who offered to keep a Muslim foreign exchange student with them permanently, because her family had informed her she needed to come home to India to have an arranged marriage to a man over 20 years her senior. She was a high school foreign exchange student. Her family only allowed her to graduate high school as a concession. She turned down her host family’s kind offer because she couldn’t bear to lose her family. And their extremist faith would have demanded that they disown her forever unless she allowed herself to be tossed away to some stranger.

    So much needless, preventable pain and heartache occurs every day around the world.

  5. You know, I have to apologize to Max though; I started skimming his self-flagellating comments and didn’t realize he later already made the same point regarding his free speech. Well done.

    Still, the knee jerk reaction of “Oh, yeah, we’re terrible too, just in other ways!” is off-putting and out of place in context of this story about SA executing a 17 year old dissident for political speech. The fact that we are not perfect does not preclude us from ever speaking out about wrongs done elsewhere. Leading with a gratuitous “The US sucks!” does nothing to add to analysis of the story presented and likening drone use (which I am also largely opposed to) and the political execution described is a non sequitur.

  7. I grew up in a solid Dem, ethnic, blue collar, family. Dems did not hate America back then. The 60’s changed that and Dems have not gotten through the anger phase yet. Wake me when they do, they are boring as hell after 50 years of hating.

  8. Max, The “Hate America” crowd are strong “Feel the Bern” voters.

  9. Max and Crystal denounce the human rights practices of their home country — an action that could get them imprisoned or killed in any one of a number of Middle Eastern and Asian countries but will mostly be ignored here.

    Thanks for validating natural rights in the USA and highlighting the extent to which we take them for granted.

  10. Not all humans favor torture, carnage, murder, maiming, rape, and plunder. But many do, especially if their own wealth increases as a result. The US had opportunities to be a nation of humanity and peace, but apparently the majority chose instead to enrich themselves by promoting fear, glorifying violence, and dominating others. Opportunities missed. Maybe China, as the only superpower, will choose a better path.

  11. Some very good comments above about Saudi Arabia and the United States. As an outsider I came here to observe. I spent time in Ferguson. That is a nice little town (suburb) which gets defamed every minute in the media. While Saudi Arabia deserves some criticism, Ferguson deserves little. If some fleeing felon was stopped by a cop in Saudi Arabia and then assaulted the cop, who then shot the felon, there would be not outrage. Different strokes for different folks– as they say here in America sometimes.

  13. Max-1 – on the hospital bombing. My guess is that it was bad intelligence. Smart bombs can only do so much. So, someone gave or interpreted the intelligence incorrectly making the hospital a target. We accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy before.

  14. The right to bear arms has its detractors and its defenders. If all the Saudi’s had guns the outlaws that run the place would not run the place because there would have been a revolution. But this topic should make us realize that Sharia law is a problem on planet Earth. On the other hand in America, which is mostly Christian, we ignore the Sixth Commandment of Thou Shalt Not Kill. We think that there is an exception –that it is ok for the government to kill in the name of the people as a whole. I call that the Y’all Can exception. But, we think that we are the “Exceptional Nation”. We put that notion out at the Nuremberg Trials after WWII. Back in 1945 after we and the Soviets were victorious over the Hitler and his youth et al, the Soviets said at first that they just wanted to round up or sort out all the war criminals and execute them without trial. Then the Soviets agreed to participate in the Nuremberg Trials as judges. We Americans thought that the Nuremberg decisions would create a world wide or International Law for the future- that the decisions based on those facts of war crimes would be precedents.
    Now we have Gitmo and we conduct water boarding and drone strikes or other bombings on civilians and Doctors Without Border Hospitals.

    An Exceptional Nation is comprised of humans who think that they are better than others– that their own itShay Dont Stink. Saudi Arabia thinks like that. So do we Americans. There is a song about Rednecks and some of the lyrics are: “Went in dumb, come out dumb too. Hustlin round Atlanta in our alligator shoes. We’re Rednecks, We’re Rednecks! We are keeping the N _____s down.” The song is by Randy Newman. The song sort of applies to the Saudis too. Just substitute a couple of words. Instead of Rednecks interpose Muslims. Instead of the N word substitute Non Muslims.

    Do not be too judgmental my fellow Americans. Whether you are a human or a dog, you have some things to think about on this topic.

  15. I Don”t think our workers would ever purposely hang us out to dry……we have a choice of beliefs here…the likes of rudy are right,,,,,screw saudi….or our govt is actually compromised. When I sit back and look I I’ve 2 choices we’bean taken over or we got traitors…….how would we know if we were taken ov er? Who could tell us if heads a r e on the ‘ block….at some point maybe we should assume……so they will kill him…..is that our problem given kobar towars and 911? I don’t care. Saudi is our enemy.

  16. Now, I’ll address Ali Mohammed al-Nimr. He’s a victim of a country that doesn’t support a Freedom America celebrates; The ability to protest against your government. That he is being sentenced to such a barbaric degree should offend those of us who celebrate our freedom of speech and most importantly, our ability to speak up/out when we feel offended by our Government (as exhibited by my comments above).

  19. Our own US government is a terrorist government run by war criminals. What can be done when your own country is one of the most evil, inhumane torturing governments on the planet?

    The fact that the US Government has created and backed ISIS should be proof enough to the world. How can we do anything about another government when are own government is run by terrorists?

    Americans don’t even care until they are the ones affected by the terrorism and the flood of refugees begin entering this country and all the countries around the world.

    People can’t see beyond the end of their own nose, until it’s too late.

  20. JT
    Yes, that Saudi Arabia is a member of the UN Human Rights committee is a quandary… However that the USA is a member should also be held in question. Torture, worlds largest prison population, use of drones to kill innocent people and of course, bombing hospitals.

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