Saudi Arabia defends decision to execute 14 Shia activists

[TomSea]

Saudi Arabia defends decision to execute 14 Shia activists
Human-rights activists and relatives of the convicted claim that Saudi authorities had tortured the men (AFP)

Sunday 6 August 2017 10:57 UTC  Last update: Sunday 6 August 2017 11:42 UTC
 
Saudi Arabia defended its decision to execute more than a dozen Shia activists involved in demonstrations during the 2011 and 2012 Arab Spring revolts.

In a rare statement, the Saudi authorities said it had sentenced the activists to death based on a fair trial.

Human-rights activists claim that some of the sentenced men were tortured and forced into making false confessions. This later led to them being convicted to death in a secretive counterterrorism court.

The group included a teenager who was arrested at the airport before boarding a flight to visit a university in Michigan, and a youth who is half-deaf and nearly blind, activists said.

Shias in the Sunni-majority kingdom have long complained of discrimination and harassment by authorities.

Continued: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-defends-decision-execute-14-shiite-activists-889758888