Story of Saudi Martyr who Sympathized with Bahrain: Al-Hawaj Killed by Sword

2019-05-07 - 4:11 am

Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): In the territory ruled by the oil Sheikhs and guarded by the best weapons and armies from the west, there is no value for human beings.

Sympathy is an offence in the indices of kings and their laws. Showing support for any oppressed people, raising one's voice in solidarity with the oppressed, or posting some words on Facebook or Twitter to express the pain in the heart are considered crimes that require slaughtering and then crucifixion. This is not something unreal, as it actually happened recently.

"Sympathizing with the opposition in Bahrain" was one of the official charges brought against the Saudi prisoner Abdulkarim Al-Hawaj who was executed on Tuesday (April 23, 2019).

Al-Hawaj forcibly went on a journey of torture that ended with the execution of 37 Saudis, at least 27 of whom were supporters of the pro-freedom movement. Al-Hawaj's greater offence; however, was sympathizing with the Bahraini people and for that he drew his last breath in a pool of his own blood..

He was only 16 years old when he took part in the protests (according to Amnesty International). He was a minor, legally. Minors receive commuted sentences all around the world, except in Saudi Arabia and its neighboring oil and sword states.

On July 27, 2016, the specialized Criminal Court in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sentenced Abdulkarim Al-Hawaj to death. The trial lacked the conditions of justice, and Al-Hawaj became among a list of nine minors who might be executed, and indeed the worst happened.

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights reports the story of Abdulkarim Al-Hawaj. It says that Al-Hawaj (born on November 19, 1995) was arrested on January 16, 2014 by civilian-clad men, who were likely to be affiliated with the intelligence. The forces arrested Abdulkarim on his way back from work, at a checkpoint in Al-Hadla street in Qatif province. A weapon was pointed at his face without showing any arrest warrant. He was taken with his car to an unknown location.

The forces that arrested Al-Hawaj didn't tell his family about his whereabouts. Days after his arrest, the family knew from private non-official sources that he was held in custody.

He was placed in solitary confinement for five months, during which he was forbidden to contact the outside world or his family.

He was subjected to interrogation and torture to force him confess to several charges.

He was beaten with sticks and electric wires, kicked with heavy shoes, electrocuted, and had his hands tied above his head for more than 12 hours, during which he was prevented from using a restroom.

In addition to physical torture, he was subjected to psychological torture by enduring verbal abuse, threats to kill his parents, as well as threats to pluck his fingernails.

Al-Hawaj was denied his right to communicate with a lawyer at the time of arrest and during the interrogation period, but after more than two years of detention and with the commencement of trial hearings, the family appointed an attorney.

The lawyer was harassed, as the court did not respond to a number of his legitimate requests and the family was harassed during visits to check on their son.

Abdulkarim Al-Hawaj faced charges dating back to the period when he was a minor and his confessions were extracted under torture. However, this did not prevent the court from sentencing him first to a ta'zir death penalty (for which the punishment is discretionary). And in order to give the verdict legal grounds, he was forced to confess to pointing a gun at the police.

However, the real reasons for his arrest were "preparing posters that read anti-regime slogans, being active on social media sites, and sympathizing with the opposition in the Bahrain."

Al-Hawaj was only brought to court two years after his arrest, which is contravenes the Saudi anti-terrorism law under which he was tried, which stipulates that the prosecution must request an extension of the detention duration from the court if it requires so.

In 2014, his journey of detention began, followed by torture, imprisonment and trial. Now, Al-Hawaj is headless and buried in a place determined by the authorities in the Kingdom of oil and the sword. What's even worse is that this murderous state will continue to commit such acts because its sword exudes oil.

 

Arabic Version


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