Saudi authorities to execute another Shia youth activist

A prominent rights group has warned about the imminent beheading of another young Shia citizen 

A prominent rights group has warned about the imminent beheading of another young Shia citizen in Saudi Arabia, saying courts in the kingdom keep handing down harsh sentences to the dissents in secret and unfair trials.

Reprieve, an internationally-recognized rights advocacy group based in Britain, revealed in a statement that a Saudi court last week had upheld an execution ruling against Dawoud Hussain al-Marhoon, a Shia man who was arrested at the age of 17 in anti-government protests east of the country in 2012.

The group said Marhoon now faces beheading only for demanding democracy and equal rights.

The same court had also earlier upheld a sentence of beheading and crucifixion on Ali al-Nimr, another young Shia citizen of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. International condemnation poured in over the Nimr’s case, with governments and organizations calling on Riyadh not to execute him, as he was a minor when he was arrested.

Saudi Arabia has faced massive criticism over the number of execution sentences it has issued in 2015 with reports showing a dramatic increase of such rulings in the kingdom compared to previous years.