As promised, here are pair of letters that can be sent on behalf of Mohamed Kohail and his brother. One should be sent to the Saudi officials and the second to Lawrence Cannon and Beverly Oda.
Here is the letter directed towards several members of the Saudi royal family:
Your Majesty/Royal Highness
I am writing this letter on to implore you to exert your power in staying the execution of Mohamed Kohail, Mehanna Sa’d, and any potential similar sentence delivered to Sultan Kohail. Such a choice works in the best interest of both individual justice and the entire country of Saudi Arabia. I hope to illustrate that this decision will be viewed favorably and greatly appreciated by the world community.
The sentence of death by beheading rendered in this case begs further review and your personal consideration. Strong evidence points to the two men convicted having been tortured during their detention, and the defense attorney acting on their behalf was denied any chance to challenge the prosecution’s evidence or present witnesses. In the case of Sultan Kohail, the Convention on the Rights of the Child forbids execution for those charged with offences occurring under the age of 18; Sultan was merely 17 at the time of the incident in question and should thus be protected from the death penalty.
As a member of the United Nations, Saudi Arabia has committed to maintaining international standards of fair trial. Specifically, the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty insist upon reasonable legal assistance being provided to any and all defendants. Saudi Arabia has also accepted the standards outlined in Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which prohibits the kind of ill treatment Mohamed may have been subjected to.
Saudi Arabia faces great media scrutiny as one of the premier powers of the Middle East, and it would greatly enhance the worldwide perception of your country’s justice system were Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d spared the death penalty. Such a merciful act would strongly signal Saudi Arabia’s respect for justice and adequate legal representation. I am confident that your judgment and discretion will prevail in recognizing that the benefits of this choice.
Yours sincerely,
Faxes addressed to the princes should be addressed "Your Royal Highness", while those sent to the king should begin with "Your Majesty".
APPEALS TO:
Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.
His Majesty King Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road, Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nasseriya Street
Riyadh 11124
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 403 0645
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
COPIES TO:
Mr Turki bin Khaled Al-Sudairy
President Human Rights Commission
PO Box 58889, Riyadh 11515
King Fahad Road, Building No.373
Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 4612061
And now for the ministers' letter:
I am writing on behalf of Mohamed Kohail, the young Canadian citizen facing execution in Saudi Arabia for his involvement in the death of Munzer Al-Hiraki. While the exact circumstances of the unfortunate death of Mr. Al-Hiraki are unclear, what is beyond dispute is the blatantly unethical and prejudicial prosecution of this case by the Saudi authorities. Mohamed’s trial was conducted in nine sessions of ten minutes length, with a defense attorney present only in one or two instances and forbidden from actively challenging the court’s evidence. Prior to this Mohamed and another young man charged in the case were held by Saudi police and beaten, possibly tortured, to try and provoke confessions. Furthermore, two witnesses to be presented on behalf of the defense were denied access to the court.
The fact that no Canadian citizen should be subject to such ill treatment by another country’s legal authorities is beyond question; I implore you to act in accordance with the most deep rooted principles of compassion and sovereignty in persuading the powers at be in Saudi Arabia to stay Mohamed’s execution. Thank you graciously for your time in considering this letter.
Beverley Oda
Minister for International Cooperation
Ottawa Office
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Phone: (613) 992-2792
Fax: (613) 992-2794
Lawrence Cannon
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Tel: (613) 992-5516
Fax: (613) 992-6802
Email: Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca
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