Saudi Arabia commutes death sentences of young Shiites
The sentences of Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, who were arrested as teenagers in 2012, were reduced to 10 years in prison.
Saudi Arabia has commuted the death sentences of three Shiite men arrested nearly a decade ago for taking part in anti-government protesters when they were teenagers.
Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon had their sentences reduced to 10 years in prison, according to the state-backed Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission. They are scheduled to be released in 2022.
The three men were arrested in 2012 on terrorism-related charges after participating in anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Al-Nimr was 17, Al-Marhoun was 17 and al-Zaher was 15.
The Specialized Criminal Court, which handles terrorism cases in Saudi Arabia, sentenced the three men to death in 2014 in what rights groups said were highly flawed trials that relied on torture-induced confessions.
