December 15, 2015 – Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Méndez endorsed a call by other independent United Nations human rights experts urging Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, who was sentenced to death on 17 November for the crime of ‘apostasy’ based on a collection of poems published in 2008 and the testimony of a single witness, who claims he had heard the poet make blasphemous comments at a cafe. “The death penalty imposed on Mr. Fayadh for his poetry is in violation of international human rights law and amounts to a grave violation of freedom of artistic expression,” the experts stated, adding that “the promotion of such a violent response against a legitimate form of opinion and expression has a widespread chilling effect across all of Saudi society.” To read the full article, click here.
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia
