Those who rape and kill young boys are not sympathetic characters. Even they, though, deserve to face justice in a fair process. Arab News reports on the case of a father seeking justice for his son. When he was 13 years old, the son raped and killed a three-year-old child. The son was taken from his home, held in custody and interrogated, then, three years later, was beheaded. Saudi law—as well as international treaties to which the Kingdom is a party—prohibit the execution of minors, however, and the police procedures followed in the case were sadly wanting. Now the father wants justice for himself and his son and seeks SR 10 million in compensation and prosecution for those responsible for his son’s execution. The police, according to the story, are fighting to avoid all of that.

Laws within a country must be uniform, uniformly understood, and uniformly applied. That was clearly not the case here. This instance provides another example of why legal reform to standardize judges’ understanding of the laws and better educate them in the law is necessary. Reform has started; it must not be delayed.

Al-Hakami decries police pressure to drop charges
Samir Al-Saadi I Arab News

JEDDAH: Police in Jazan have been pressuring the father of a 16-year-old who was found guilty and executed for the rape and murder of a toddler in 2007 to drop charges against them.

Hussein Al-Hakami’s son, Mueed, was executed in 2007 for a crime that he allegedly committed when he was 13. Al-Hakami claims police have been pressuring him for the past three days to sign a document canceling charges against Jazan police.

“They want me to drop the charges. Police have been meeting me for three consecutive days for that sole purpose,” he said. “The king’s orders are very clear. They need to show me where Mueed is buried and ask for a DNA test to prove the body is that of my son … they have done none of this,” he said.

“They have sat down with me every day for the past few days and given me different excuses and incentives to sign a paper to cancel the charges. I don’t care. The police took my son from my home and they are the ones responsible,” he said.

“I am not going to drop the charges. That should be clear to them by now,” he added.
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