To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
BAN WEAPONS SALES TO SAUDI ARABIA UNTIL THEY END JUVENILE EXECUTIONS
Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, Dawood Al Marhoon, and Abdullah Al Zaher are sentenced to death by crucifixion for participating in peaceful protests. Their execution is imminent.
US has a $11.2b contract to sell weapons to the Saudi government, thereby abetting cruel and degrading human rights violations.
We demand the immediate suspension of all sales of military or police equipment & weapons, dual use goods, or any prison services to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they agree to:
1) Unconditionally release and pardon the three above-mentioned individuals
2) Ban execution of all juveniles
3) Agree to independent audits to ensure that no juveniles are executed in Saudi Arabia in the future.
Why is this important?
Ali Mohammed Al Nimr was only 16 when he was arrested for demonstrating for democracy in Saudi Arabia, an authoritarian country where protests are illegal. Ali, and other Arab Spring protesters, were calling for democracy, perhaps the most American of all values. And yet, the US government, which is a close ally to Saudi Arabia, has turned a blind eye to his case, and to the cases of other non-violent protesters.
As a result, Saudi has tortured Ali and sentenced him to execution by crucifixion, an act of astounding barbarity.
If the United States government truly stands for freedom and democracy, it must stop Saudi Arabia from carrying out this egregious violation of basic human rights. It must pressure King Salman to release all political prisoners, including Ali Mohamed al-Nirm, Dawood al-Marhoon, and Abdullah al-Zaher, who were all minors at the time of their arrest.