High Sentences Against Palestinian Detainees Violate International Standards
Skyline International for Human Rights and the Arab Organization for Human Rights confirmed that the high sentences against Palestinian and Jordanian detainees violate fair sentences.
Skyline expressed its deep concern and rejection of the Saudi judicial authorities’ decision to imprison dozens of Palestinian and Jordanian detainees.
It stressed the need for judicial authorities to review their unjustified decisions.
And It warned that the implementation of those decisions would mean sentencing those detainees to death inside their prisons, given the high sentences imposed on some detainees.
Skyline states that the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh issued yesterday, August 8 sentenced 69 Palestinian and Jordanian detainees, including 10 Saudis, to prison terms ranging from three to 21 years.
Among those who were sentenced yesterday “Mohammed Al-Khudari” who was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a half-term stay, his son Hani Al-Khudari (3 years), Mohammed Al-Abed (22 years), Mohammed Al-Banna (20 year), Ayman Al-Arian (19 years), Mohammed Abu Al-Rub(18 years old), Sherif Nasrallah (16 years old), Jamal Al-Dahoudi (15 years), and Omar Aref Al-Haj (12 year).
Skyline points out the verdicts were scheduled to be announced in October but the Saudi Criminal Court brought them forward to yesterday August 8August 8, without providing any justification for that.
Skyline points out that the Saudi Criminal Court issued a surprising decision a few days ago, in which it submitted the date of the final ruling to yesterday, after it was supposed to be issued next October, without providing any justification for this speed in issuing those rulings.
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia have detained more than 60 Palestinians and Jordanians since February 2019 and are facing trial before a Saudi terrorism court including representative of Hamas in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Muhammad al-Khudari, on charges of affiliation with a terrorist organization and raising funds on its behalf.
In this regard, the human rights foundation “Skyline” stresses that the recent verdicts violate international standards for a fair trial. Saudi judicial authorities have committed complex violations; they arrested these people without legal permission, depriving them of meeting with their lawyers and submitting defenses, and forcing them to submit confessions under Torture and denial of medical care, especially since a large number of detainees who were arrested are elderly.
Skyline states that its concerns are based on the Saudi authorities’ unlawful practices against their citizens and nationals. To add, Saudi Arabia’s human rights is on a continuous and alarming decline, especially as the Kingdom increases its arbitrary arrests of preachers, journalists, activists. Skyline further stressed that the conditions of those who were arrested before by the Saudi authorities detention are very similar to the conditions experienced by the new 69 Jordanian and Palestinian detainees. All of them are denied legal representation and family reunion, faced systematic torture and trumped-up charges and are prevented from medical care.
Skyline concludes its statement by calling on the Saudi authorities, especially the judicial authorities, to stop the implementation of their decision and enable detainees to submit defenses during a fair trial that guarantees them all the rights guaranteed by international and Saudi law alike. Skyline also calls on all UN agencies and specialized agencies, led by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights, to urgently intervene and pressure the Saudi authorities to undo their recent decision and stop their restrictive practices against freedom of opinion and expression and basic rights in the country.
