[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Feb. 13





SAUDI ARABIA:

URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA

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For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa04812.pdf

UA 48/12
Date Issued: 13 February 2012
Country: Saudi Arabia

MAN MIGHT FACE DEATH PENALTY FOR TWEET
Saudi Arabian national Hamza Kashgari risks being charged of apostasy, 
punishable by death, for
remarks he posted on Twitter. He was forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia on 12 
February from Malaysia,
after he had left the country amid death threats for the posts. He is now in 
detention in Saudi
Arabia.

Hamza Kashgari was arrested in Malaysia on 9 February 2012 and was held in an 
unknown location
without being granted access to a lawyer. Since his forcible return to Saudi 
Arabia, he has been
held in a detention facility at the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh, the capital 
of Saudi Arabia. He
has been allowed contact with his family.

It was reported that shortly after Hamza Kashgari's arrival in Saudi Arabia, a 
state prosecutor from
Jeddah, Hamza Kashgari's hometown, had requested permission from the head of 
Bureau of Investigation
and Prosecution to file a case against Hamza Kashgari. He also called for 
others who have replied in
encouragement or agreement to Hamza Kashgari’s Twitter remarks to be 
prosecuted.

Amnesty International considers Hamza Kashgari to be a prisoner of conscience 
arrested solely for
exercising his right to freedom of expression, and that his arrest, detention 
and possible
prosecution as well as that of others who responded are incompatible with basic 
human rights
enshrined in international conventions.

Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own language:
- Urging the King of Saudi Arabia to revoke the order to arrest Hamza Kashgari 
and ensure he is
released immediately and unconditionally and any prosecution procedure dropped;
- Granting him immediate access to a lawyer of his choosing and the right to be 
assisted by his
lawyer including during his questioning.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 26 MARCH 2012 TO:
King
His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Salutation: Your Majesty

Crown Prince and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness

And copies to:
Minister of Culture and Information
His Excellency Dr Abdulaziz Bin Muhiyuddin Khoja
Ministry of Culture and Information
Nasseriya Street
Riyadh 11161
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 402 3570 -OR- 011 966 1 402 405 0674

Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983
Email: info at saudiembassy.net

Please check with AIUSA Urgent Action Office is sending appeals after the above 
date.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Hamza Kashgari left Saudi Arabia on 6 February amid death threats after some 
clerics accused him of
apostasy following statements he posted on Twitter which they deemed to be 
insulting towards the
Prophet Mohammed. A day after he left the country, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz 
Al Saud ordered the
Ministry of Interior to arrest Hamza Kashgari and hold him accountable for the 
statements he made.
The Malaysian authorities, who did not charge Hamza Kashgari with any 
recognizable criminal offence,
arrested him on 9 February when he went to the airport to fly to New Zealand. 
They handed him over
to the Saudi Arabian authorities in spite of calls from local and international 
organizations not to
forcibly return him to Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, the death penalty is applied for a wide range of offences 
including for apostasy
and sorcery. The criminalization of apostasy is incompatible with the right to 
freedom of thought,
conscience and religion as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights.
Although the crime of "sorcery" is not defined it has been used to punish 
people for the legitimate
exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of thought, 
conscience, religion,
belief and expression. In 2011, two people were executed for sorcery.

Amnesty International has documented cases in Saudi Arabia where people whose 
comments were deemed
contrary to Islam have at times been considered to be tantamount to being an 
apostate and as such
sentenced to death.

Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia fall far short of international standards for 
fair trial.
Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many 
cases are not informed
of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely 
on the basis of
confessions obtained under duress or deception.

Name(s): Hamza Kashgari (m)
Issue(s): Incommunicado detention, Prisoner of conscience, Forcible return
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Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and 
defends human rights.

This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact 
information and stop action
date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal.

Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan at aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/uan
Phone: 202.509.8193
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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