Riyadh court gives death sentences to 14 young activists from Qatif

A Saudi court has given death sentences to over a dozen young Shia activists from the restive Qatif region, which has been the scene of peaceful protest rallies against the Saudi authorities in recent years.

A Saudi court has given death sentences to over a dozen young Shia activists from the restive Qatif region, which has been the scene of peaceful protest rallies against the Saudi authorities in recent years.

Lebanon’s al-Manar television channel reported that 14 activists were sentenced to death on Thursday by the Supreme Court in Riyadh for taking part in the anti-regime protests gripping the kingdom’s Eastern Province, where the Qatif region is located.

According to the report, the trial process preceding the verdicts took place at the criminal court dealing with terrorism-related cases, a tribunal viewed by legal experts as an Interior Ministry tool to suppress opposition activists.

This is while some of the defendants had said during the hearing sessions that they were forced into false confessions through physical and psychological torture.